


A Dragon in Time Saves Nine

by LaterDays



Series: The Quad-rude-le Timeline [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BECAUSE IT'S LEAVING THE STATION, Changing the past, Gen, Guardian!Ladybug, I HOPE Y'ALL ARE READY FOR THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER, I did my best to keep some of the akuma mentioned canon compliant, I have a feeling that Fu is priming Maribug for the job, I tried not to make it cheap, Unrequited Crush, and even though I harbor a soft spot for Marc/Nathaniel..., at least where Marc is concerned, because Guardian!Ladybug is looking more and more like a thing, because as much as I adore the thought of Nino/Carapace as the next Guardian, but for reasons explained in the narration, but not until way later, but the canon train has mostly been derailed here, even if it's a super rude timeline, even less canon compliant with the last two episodes, eventual identity reveal, from dark to light, knew this was gonna happen..., no beta run LET'S GO, not as canon compliant per events in Anansi, oh right one more thing, the ship tease is real, this was super fun to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-07-01 10:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15772218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaterDays/pseuds/LaterDays
Summary: With Marc's family threatening to come apart at the seams in the face of a deadly villain and his followers spreading chaos in their wake, he follows his mother's orders to find help - and answers - in the past. Whether or not he finds what he's looking for will be found out in good time.





	1. I Ran Out Of Time On A Very Important Day

**Author's Note:**

> When I watched Reverser last month, I too noticed that Marc could probably pass as Adrien and Marinette's future kid. So I built an AU on it, where he is their future kid. He finds a way to go back in time from a bleak and gritty Paris, plagued by a villain who's been killing heroes, to a time when his parents are younger and don't have a clue who he is. Thankfully, he does get a little bit of help and wisdom while trying to figure out what he's meant to do to fix certain events.
> 
> I will do my best to keep to a steady posting schedule, still debating on once or twice a week. Whatever happens regarding posting schedule, please know that the fic is completely written. Except for an alternate ending that I've been plotting out since this was started. So stay tuned for updates!
> 
> For those who read _[Ferociously Fluffy and Sheepishly Fierce](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15557535)_ , this is the fic I hinted at in chapter two, featuring OCs that belong to ZiriO and I. I won't be offended if you haven't read it yet, and you won't be missing out on plot points if you read this fic first.
> 
> Assorted disclaimers: I know minimal French, have probably seen one or two episodes of the show in French with subtitles, apologize profusely for any akuma names I butchered, and while this fic has been given a quick glance by a friend, it is to be considered not beta read.
> 
> ONE MORE THING! Thank you to Ziri for pointing out sentences that got away from me or just stopped before finishing from late night moments of feverish writing and intense inspiration where I just _needed_ to write. Your reactions in the comments sustained me. This fic wouldn't have happened (or continued) without you.  <3

They had been a family of heroes. Had being the operative term, because the universe fought to remain in balance. When Papillon had been defeated, it left a void for a new evil to fill. A new generation stepped up to follow in Ladybug and Chat Noir's footsteps. What could best be described as vigilante heroism ran in the family, but they adhered to a strong moral code to maintain their freedom and good relationship with the police force and all of Paris. Their younger son Marc inherited the Dragon from Memere Sabine, and middle child Emma took up the Butterfly's mantle. But their oldest, André, didn't seem interested in his inheritance of his Pepere's mighty Ox. Until he stole the Snake from his mother's secret box and vanished. When he reappeared, it was as The Rattler.

Ladybug was the first to figure it out. How could a mother not recognize their own child? She wondered where she had gone wrong. How she could have possibly missed her son's devolution to a supervillain worse than her father-in-law? André's handle of the Snake's powers was unprecedented. Mastery of subtle deceptions, poisons, and lurking just out of sight unless he wanted to be found. The day he let his family find him was the day he had a deadly trap waiting. 

The Rattler never intended for her to go in first though. Any other hero would have been enough to send a message, but he had been so immersed in darkness that he forgot how determined she could be. His mother took the snake tooth trap that flew from the wall directly to her neck. Poison quickly spread, the skin around the embedded fangs starting to turn purple. Feilong who had been hot on her heels watched in horror as she swayed for two seconds and collapsed. Pink and red magic swirled around her as Tikki was forced out of the earrings. Her final words were rasped out as her younger son knelt at her side. Her hand was surprisingly strong as she stopped him from pulling out the fangs.

"Go back... take... rabbit. Find Fu. Fix the... p...ast."

She was gone by the time Chat dashed in seconds later, pale as ice as he fell to his knees. His shoulders shook before a howl of anguish ripped from his throat. Camberwell darted in after him and slapped a pair of cuffs around one of her eldest brother’s wrists and an exposed radiator pipe. He didn’t even seem to realize that she pocketed his pilfered Snake ring.

Feilong flew out to carry out his mother’s last order as best he could, ignoring his sister’s cry to come back.

If he understood correctly, she wanted him to use the Rabbit Miraculous, find the Guardian before her named Fu who had lived in a massage parlor, and somehow change the past so his brother wouldn’t turn evil and--

Feilong stopped just inside the door as his transformation dropped. His mother was dead. The truth caught up to him and slammed into his head with the force of a bullet train at top speed. He barely registered his kwami, Huuang, draping around the back of his neck. The hurricane of emotions had whipped his mind into a frenzy until he didn’t know which way would take him to his parents’ room. His feet dragged across hardwood floors and assorted throw rugs with every room he passed through. Every step upstairs felt like he was walking through a dream. He’d wake up as soon as the door opened, and he’d go down to the kitchen where Mama would be making berry-filled crepes while Papa danced around, gathering plates and forks for everyone.

“Marc, please focus,” Huuang finally said, curling around his wrist. “You’ve been given several important tasks, including charged with caring for another Miraculous. I know it’s all a heavy burden, but your mother would not have asked this of you if she didn’t think you could manage it. She could have asked you to tell your father, or another of the remaining older Chosen heroes. But she gave this to you.”

Marc was silent when he stopped in front of the open door to his parents’ room. The light yellow walls filled him with warmth, unbidden in light of the recent tragedy, but not unwelcome. It was as if his mother’s spirit was trying to reassure him that everything would be alright.

After a couple silent nudges from his kwami, Marc willed his feet over the threshold. Now for the first of his impossible tasks: find the box that held the remaining Miraculous. In light of the recent rise in evil magic all across France, only seven of the Zodiac Miraculous and the Peacock lay dormant. Unfortunately, their Chosen had made the ultimate sacrifice in the continuous struggle for good and evil, and they rested inside, waiting for the next. And now one more had a purpose to fulfill.

It felt like it took an hour to find the special case disguised as an old phonograph, and it would have taken him an actual hour to get in if Huuang hadn’t indicated the correct buttons to push to unlock it. Once all the side drawers had slid open, Marc studied all the empty resting places for each Miraculous. He swore that Mom’s earrings wouldn’t go back in the top center for many more years. Not until Dad’s ring joined it whenever they decided to retire. The Peacock brooch looked so lonely, all the rest of the primary Miraculous still out with their partners. Then there were the drawers. He had sometimes wondered who held the Tiger and Monkey, but some of the other heroes preferred their anonymity. His fingers brushed over the tray that had housed his dragon pendant, kept going where the Snake’s ring - shaped like an ouroboros - would someday return when his older brother stopped being an idiot, and paused on the next tier. The Rabbit Miraculous. A light brown charm shaped like a rabbit’s foot strung up on an anklet.

Marc scooped it out with a shaking hand, then closed up the rest to hide them again. Now came the second trial: finding this old man Fu. But he was probably dead by now. With a sigh, he unlatched the clasp and secured the Miraculous around his ankle. In an instant, tan smoke and glitter rose from the rabbit foot until a bipedal rabbit with thin antenna appeared and stretched out its tiny body.

“Mmm… I was having a really nice nap. So, what’s-- Huuang? Oh come _on_ , do I have to work with you?”

“Marc, this is Lupinn,” Huuang sighed. “Lupinn, this is Marc. I know we have our differences, but we have a job to do and you’re the only one who can help. You’re going to have to borrow some of my magic to hop back in time.”

“...Excuse me?” Lupinn tipped his head to one side, causing his ears to flop over in that direction. “Exactly how are back are we going? Days? Months?”

“Try years, between eighteen and twenty, I think. I need to go back to before my parents were married to try and fix everything. I need to find Guardian Fu.”

“You’re gonna need a lot of magic to go back that far kid, why don’t you come back in another ten years when you’ve got more magic for m--”

“Because Ladybug’s _gone_!” Marc blurted out, his voice cracking on the last syllable.

The bored look on Lupinn’s face was gone immediately. The gravity of the situation causing him to drift down onto Marc’s arm.

“I’m sorry kid…” he murmured so low, Marc had to lower his head to hear him properly. “Look, I’ll do what I can, but I can’t make any guarantees I’ll get us back far enough. My time travel powers can only do so much without help. And even then, I would probably need a power boost of some sort to skip back more than 12 years, even with pulling on another kwami’s magic.”

“Then you’ll need this.”

Marc whipped around so fast his neck cricked. Throwing up a hand in a vain attempt to subdue the pain, his eyes widened when he saw his sister in the doorway. Nooroo sat on her shoulder nibbling on a sugared violet, but what caught his eye next was a small drawstring pouch in her hand.

“You know how I’ve been tinkering with herbal magic, right? I found a recipe that’s been helping Nooroo stay transformed longer and keep my champions going just as long too. It’s worth trying right?”

Emma held out the pouch to him, hope and determination glimmering in her bloodshot teal eyes.

“Yeah, we’ll try. For Mom.”

With the pouch in one hand, he pulled his sister in for a one-armed bear hug with the other.

\---

Marc ended up waiting until his father dragged himself home. He looked like he’d been hit by several trains, trauma no doubt from losing his wife and partner, and handing his older son over to the authorities to face the consequences of his actions. It was probably like dealing with Pepere Gabriel’s arrest all over again, but no Ladybug at his side to help weather the storm.

He hated telling his father the final mission his mother had set him on. The tired shadow of a smile he’d been granted vanished in the blink of an eye, and he felt more like he was looking at a kicked puppy than his father.

“I’ll be back before you know it, I promise! I’ll set things right, Papa, I swear! I’ll make sure today doesn’t go like this. I can do this.”

Maybe the false bravado was a cover for how terrified he really was or to comfort his father, but in a way, it helped. Maybe there was something to Mama’s old saying “fake it until you make it”. He’d have to remember that when she wasn’t able to offer sage, motherly advice.

With a final goodbye to what remained of his broken family, he fed an amplifier to each kwami and activated both Miraculous simultaneously, gaining an unusual hybrid costume that made his sister cackle with glee. It must have been the ears he noticed swinging into his peripheral sight. He held that joyous sound in his heart as he took a running start and took a bounding leap.

“TIME JUMP!”

The anklet flashed with a coppery glow, and in a blinding burst of brighter light, he was gone.


	2. So I Set The Clock Back A Few Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tasked with his mission, Marc begins to realize he may face more complications than he'd considered on his trip to the past. He learns and remembers important lessons such as laws of magical energy conservation and consumption, rules of time travel to avoid interfering in certain events, and that it's a good idea to know what the person you seek looks like before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since some of the chapters aren't super long, I've decided to update every few days. Depending on how life stuff runs, I'll aim for Wednesday or Thursday, and Saturday or Sunday. So! Keep an eye out for those if you're interested in reading more. Again, I've done what I can to give the chapter a quick edit, but it's still not been given a full beta check. Hope you all enjoy this moderately lighter chapter!

When the light took Marc into the temporal vortex, he felt like he was rising slowly, then falling faster and faster. It was nothing like cartoons he’d watched as a kid, or the opening scenes of Doctor Who one of his friends had shown him. There was only wind howling in his ears as what his body interpreted as a rapid descent consumed him. The adrenaline rush weighed down his stomach, worse than any roller coaster he’d ever been on. Had he eaten at all before leaving, he probably would have left the half-digested remains behind in transit. Just when he swore bile was threatening to crawl up his esophagus, his body hit something solid with a soft _fwump_.

His limbs felt ridiculously heavy, the scent of grass and earth filled his nose as the former tickled his whole face. A low _whoosh_ blew by his ears, and he had a feeling his transformation gave out. An attempt to lift his head left him groaning and just rolling over. When he dared to crack open an eye, Paris’ night sky greeted him. It was slightly darker than what he remembered, so perhaps the light pollution wasn’t as bad yet. He let his head flop to one side and found himself eye to eye with Lupinn and Huuang. He could see a bridge not terribly far behind them, but one or two more bridges spanning the Seine beyond that, the glow from the Eiffel Tower gave him one less concern. At least he was still in Paris.

 

“Wh-- er, _when_ are we?”

Lupinn shrugged and drifted off toward a trash can.

“Lupinn, what are y--” Huuang’s voice cut off as realization glittered in his eyes.

Lupinn returned in a flash, dragging a newspaper that looked fairly recent. He scanned the top corner with a perplexed look on his face.

“Well, that can’t be right…” Huuang floated up to see, and his eyes widened. “Wonder what was in that amplifier.”

“Impossible! We shouldn’t have gone back this far!”

“What are you two going on about?” Marc asked quietly. He held out a hand for the stained newspaper, and it took about ten seconds and an exchange of glances between the kwami before they finally relinquished it to him.

“Now Marc,” Huuang began gently. “I need you not to panic when you read the date. Time hopping isn’t the most precise magi--” “HEY!” “--WHEN you go farther back. We, ah… may have gone back a _little_ farther back than we originally intended.”

Marc’s eyes drifted up to where the date was stamped in a bold font above its stated price. **March 3, 2018**. A little.

_A little?!_

They had gone _thirty years into the past!_ And that was if this paper had gone out earlier that very day. How could he not panic? How was he going to skip ahead to where he needed to be?!

“Lupinn, Huuang, transform me!” he commanded, panic creeping into his voice.

“Not happening,” came a flat reply. Before Marc could argue, Lupinn drifted in front of the paper and held up a tiny limb to demand silence. “First off, I just burned up a lot of magic to get you here, and I haven’t been fed yet. Second, some of that was Huuang’s magic, and he hasn’t eaten either. Third, it’s going to take more than food for me to recharge, even with amplifiers. I won’t be able to transform you for at least a few days, but it’ll be at least a few months if you want to jump ahead by anything more than a month. There’s rules for magic, kid, including energy conservation.”

“So, what do we do then?”

“We could still track down Guardian Fu,” Huuang suggested, cutting through the mild tension. “Perhaps this isn’t the time you had hoped to find him in, but it may be the time we were meant to come to. Besides, if he was still alive shortly before your parents’ wedding, he must certainly be alive now.”

Marc looked skeptical, though his kwami’s theory did make sense. Besides, he didn’t really have anything better to do. His body, however, argued to the contrary. He’d barely managed to sit up when he was hit by a dizzy spell. Immediately, he lay back down and curled up on his side.

“Maybe later…”

“Kid, you can’t st-- uh oh!”

He felt a light breeze whisk by his face, followed by two tiny bodies hiding inside his hood. A human must be walking nearby. It took another minute until he could hear footsteps approaching him, rubber soles barely sliding over concrete paving stones of the bicycle and foot path, the rhythmic tapping of a cane supporting whoever came closer. Marc glanced up and found a short old man in a red shirt with white tropical flowers all over it. He stopped a foot from the boy, leaning forward on his hooked cane as if to study him. There was something about his gaze that left him feeling like all his secrets were written on his face, unable to hide anything from him.

“Are you alright, young man?”

“I.. I’ll be fine. I just need to get a drink and find somewhere to rest. I’ll be fine by morning.”

He ignored the barely-there whisper of “liar” from Lupinn that reached his ear.

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

The question drove a fresh spike of fear through his heart. Did he? Where _could_ he go? He had been planning on tracking down this Guardian, then heading home in no time. While both of his parents would be alive, they would easily be near his own age. Memere and Pepere had always welcomed him and his siblings with open arms when Mama and Papa were busy, but they didn’t know him. Not yet, anyway. And forget finding Grandfather Gabriel. Mama always bit her lip the rare few times he’d been mentioned, and Papa didn’t like talking about him for too long. Then there was the fact that he’d be putting two Miraculous at unnecessary risk by willingly entering Papillon’s home. Though, somehow, he never figured out Papa was Chat Noir until their last standoff. Still, it wasn’t a risk he wanted to take.

Maybe he would be safer with a complete stranger. Someone who wouldn’t know about Miraculous, magic, or anything that had been a part of almost his whole life. It would be more comfortable than camping on the banks of the Seine, random rooftops, somewhere on the streets, or a dumpster where he’d end up in a back alley brawl with half a dozen hobos fighting for the best spot in the dumpster, or--

Marc bit down on his lower lip. Huuang had felt the sweat building at the back of his neck and poked him with his claws to pull him out of his anxious mental ramblings and back to the present. He blinked and realized he was still lying on the ground and the old man had said something.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked tentatively.

“If you need somewhere to stay for the night, you can rest on my futon.”

“I… I’d like that.”

Marc rolled over and slowly climbed to his feet. Though once his legs were beneath him, his body set out to betray him once more. The mysterious old man shot out a hand to grip under his arm and was somehow able to hold him steady. Despite his appearance, his body was surprisingly strong, so it was no surprise that magic was the first reasonable explanation that came to mind.

“Thank you, sir,” he finally said once his legs stopped wobbling. Shame he hadn’t brought the Horse earcuff. Its healing powers were the stuff of legends, and had indeed been the source of many worldwide. But trying to mind two kwamis and their Miraculous was a nightmare when he was still exhausted from his travels. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. Long trip.”

“You must have traveled quite far to have let your health deteriorate like this,” the old man surmised, keeping the boy propped up as he started walking slowly.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Marc muttered under his breath as he took each step with painstaking care. Then, a little louder, he added: “Yeah, it’s been a really long trip, feels like years have gone by.” He ignored what felt like a kwami-sized rabbit foot kicking the back of his neck. “M-my mom… she’d probably kill me if she saw me like this.”

The thought was more sobering than he wanted. He couldn’t let her meet that same fate. Not now that he had a chance to change things. But he’d have to be careful not to mess with anything huge or change the past too drastically. He’d seen all the Back to the Future films and knew about potential consequences. He would have to be careful not to meddle in his parents’ lives, to ensure they got married as adults, and he and his siblings were born, André included.

His meandering train of thought eventually chugged back to the present in time for him to catch the end of what the old man was saying.

“--call her before you sleep or in the morning. Does that sound good to you?

“Uh… yeah, sure. My phone’s kinda dead right now, so I’ll have to charge it and call her in the morning.”

He didn’t think his family’s plan covered roaming charges into the past, but if he was able to call home and let Papa and Emma know he was safe and alive, that would be enough. Indeed, when he pulled his phone from his pocket, it appeared to have suffered from a rather nasty Blue Screen of Death event. Maybe because it wasn’t supposed to exist yet. He shoved it hastily back in his pocket before the old man could catch a glimpse.

“I see.”

The rest of their walk passed in an oddly, comfortable silence until they reached a brick building that went up about three floors.

“Here we are,” the old man declared. “Are you well enough to walk on your own now?”

“Lemme try.”

Marc carefully unwound his arm from his support system and straightened up slowly. So far so good. One step. Two steps. Three. Four. Each one slow and deliberate, his legs felt like lead weights, but he was able to make it to the front door and let himself in. Much to his internal horror, he had to face a set of stairs next. He nearly considered just stubbornly camping out on the ground floor until his rescuer told him they only needed to go up one floor. For that, he held the railing on either side of the staircase in a death grip, and heaved himself up one step at a time.

It was nothing short of a miracle and maybe the quiet cheering and encouragement from Huuang that he finally caught up outside... one of the only two doors on the floor. His mystery hero smiled as he pushed open the door to what could have passed for a Chinese-style shop for tea, herbs, and replica artifacts. There was something oddly homey about the place and for the first time in hours? Years? However long it had been, he felt like he could relax.

The whole time travel thing was really confusing.

“Would you like some tea? Water? Something to eat?”

The old man was peering over an island counter that divided a small sitting room from the kitchen. The only things on it were a cast iron tea kettle sitting over an old brazier and a tiny box. It turned out to be a box of matches that he used to light the brazier. While Marc didn’t feel hungry yet, he could absolutely use a drink.

“Water and tea? If it’s no trouble, I mean. You’ve already done a lot for me already.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” he waved off Marc’s words as if they were a fly. “I rarely have visitors outside of business, my friends can’t visit as often as any of us would like, so this is a nice change of pace. Please, take a seat. There’s plenty of room at the counter.”

His hand gestured to a low-backed chair, which Marc took, grateful to get off his feet. While waiting for the water to heat and the tea leaves to steep, they chatted idly about topics that didn’t mean much. But as the mystery man topped off the teenager’s cold water once more, he paused as if remembering something.

“My sincerest apologies, young man, in all the excitement, I forgot to ask your name.”

“Oh, it’s Marc, sir.”

“Then it’s been a pleasure getting to meet you, Marc.”

He went silent as he poured out tea for each of them, guest first. Mark savored his first sip - something rich and smoky, but also with something light and flowery mixed in. It tasted like something Memere would brew. What he hadn’t expected was the question from his gracious host once the steaming liquid had slid easily down his throat, warming him to his core.

“So, Marc, would you mind telling me how you managed to activate the Dragon and the Rabbit Miraculous when both should still be dormant?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Couldn't resist leaving it on this cliffhanger. Poor Marc can't quite catch a break just yet. Stay tuned for the next update in a few days, but in the meantime, feel free to drop a kudo or a comment. Even if the comment is just to point out a typo or other error, those really help me out. <3


	3. Because That's How These Things Work, Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Marc gets back more of his energy, he has a long chat with the very person he was looking for. Now with 40% more cute and time travel consequences real-talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay guys, I've been having a bit of a rough week as I came to realize how absolutely burned out I've been between work, other responsibilities, and minimal sleep for the last... two or three months. Maybe longer for the smaller stuff? Weird as it may sound, I never even realized how bad it was until a friend of mine hauled me aside and basically gave me the verbal slap I needed to wake up and really look hard at what I was shoveling aside. 
> 
> Anyway, I've been working on getting my sleep schedule back on track, where I'm getting more than 3-4 hours of sleep on work nights, and I'm already feeling better. I can't give in to the temptation of writing until 2 or 3 am anymore (unless I have no work or morning plans the next day), but I feel healthier. Helping my dad take apart an old, beat-up chair earlier also helped with pent up stress and frustration, so I'm gonna sleep _really_ well tonight. 
> 
> TL;DR PSA: TOO MUCH STRESS IS BAD. LOTS OF STRESS BUILT OVER TIME CAN LEAD TO BURNOUT. DON'T LET IT GET THAT FAR. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND DON'T TAKE ON MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.
> 
> On a side note, the fic remains unbeta'd, but I really wanted to put up another chapter before the weekend update anyway. So, until next time, enjoy!

_How…_

Of all the people in all of Paris that could have found him, it was someone who not only knew about the Miraculous, but someone who knew more than just the Ladybug, Black Cat, Fox, Bee, Turtle, Butterfly, and Peacock existed. This should have been impossible. And yet, here was an older gentleman scrutinizing him while Marc himself was trying to scoop his jaw off the floor.

“I-I-I-I don’t know wh-what you’re talking about!” he lied, stammering and waving his arms wildly the second his voice saw fit to return. “A-And of course I mean, that I don’t know anything about dragons or rabbits! Nope, not a thing! Ha… hahaha…. You don’t believe me, do you?”

“It would be _miraculous_ if I did, wouldn’t you agree?”

Marc was struck dumb again briefly, until he spit out the first marginally intelligent question that popped onto his tongue.

“How d’you know about them?”

“I was chosen, just as you were.” The man was becoming stranger by the minute, but he recognized the turtle bracelet. Uncle Nino wore the same thing as a civilian and…

“Wait a second, that’s Ca-AH! AH AH AH! That means you have Wayzz here! But then… who are you?”

The awkward and sudden yelling was worth the confused look on the old man’s face to avoid saying something about the future that didn’t seem to have happened yet. Once the confusion passed, the old man seemed to consider things carefully. How much to say or reveal about himself to someone who had been surrounded by magic formed by two marginally compatible Miraculous.

“You may call me Wang Fu.”

Once again, Marc’s mouth fell open. His mother’s luck must have found a way to bond to him. He’d never been this lucky before. Never in his fifteen years on the planet Earth.

“Wang Fu? Like, _the_ Wang Fu? _You’re_ the guy my mom always went to for hero advice?”

“Your mother?” Fu seemed even more perplexed, as if Marc had been speaking in cryptic riddles.

“Oh, uh… Y’see… when I said I was a long way from home, I didn’t mean by distance. It was kinda March second, twenty forty-eight when I left for here. I borrowed the Rabbit to save my mother… Ladybug. Because she kinda told me to.”

Lupinn and Huuang crept out of hiding and settled on either of his shoulders. Opposite him, Wayzz poked his head out of Fu’s shirt pocket to listen in better. Fu immediately dipped back into the kitchen and fixed up a tiny plate of goodies for the kwami. Seaweed, bok choy, and peppered dried meat. After he settled back in his seat, he met Marc’s eyes.

“I’m sure it will be difficult, but if Ladybug sent you to me, I need you to tell me everything that’s happened from the beginning.”

So he did. He talked about his family of heroes - though he left out Papillon’s true identity when mentioning his sister had inherited that Miraculous, his brother’s descent into madness, all they did to try and bring him back, and then the last day in his own time. It was difficult to retell the whole story, but he made it through to where Fu found him.

“And after I landed here and Lupinn found what year it was… well, that’s where you found me,” he finished, with a weary wave of his hand.

They sat in silence for several minutes as Fu processed the entire story. This guy had to be the real deal, or he’d have called him crazy and tossed him out when he claimed to be Ladybug’s son. Instead, he continued sipping at his tea as he thought and watched the three kwami continue nibbling on their food. Marc stayed quiet, though he chose to look around the room and try to familiarize himself with his new surroundings.

There was one door that led to whatever was next door, an open doorway that led to a short, dimly lit hall with two closed doors. On the wall opposite the way to next door, a set of stairs went to the next floor. Wang Fu probably had his room or secret magic stuff up there. Had Mama ever told him about all he’d done? Probably bits and pieces, but he’d usually only paid half the attention he should have over the last few years. Regret wouldn’t do him much good though, so he shoved aside the wretched twist in his stomach. He could deal with it later, the next time Mama or Auntie Alya told him stories about past heroes or Guardians. He was going to make sure he’d have that chance.

“So… do you know why Mama would’ve sent me to you?”

Fu hummed and shook his head.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I’m not entirely sure,” he admitted, a somber tone filling his voice. “I will need time to think on your story and if there is anything that can be done to save Ladybug and your brother from their respective fates. In any case, Lupinn was right. Both of your Miraculous will need to recharge, and it will take longer than usual because of the intense strain and amount of magical energy that was required to bring you here without permanently draining them. You said your sister made an amplifier of some sort?”

“Yeah! Em--er, Camberwell’s the best, Mama gave her a bunch of your old notes from... _The Book_. Papa’s Chinese is a lot better, so he was able to translate for her. So after she learned the traditional transformation recipes, she started experimenting with her own.”

“That’s quite impressive. Do you have one I can examine?”

“Yeah!” Marc clapped a hand over his mouth, having accidentally shouted in his excitement and pride for his older sister’s talent. Then he started rummaging in his jeans pocket for the pouch. “I-I mean, I have some extra, so I can give you one. I don’t see what the harm would…”

His voice trailed off for a moment as his own words forced him to stop and think. So far, he was certain this was the man his mother had told him to find. He’d given Marc no reason not to trust him so far. But if he discovered all that went into Emma’s amplifier, would he recreate it for Ladybug and Chat Noir twenty-six years before its invention? Or had there been notes that Emma found hinting toward Fu’s own experiments with a power amplifier? His memory of his sister’s explanation was rather foggy, but he pushed it off. Though his hand stilled in his pocket, fingers curling around the precious bundle.

“Um… Guardian. Sir. Master. If you do figure it out, can you promise me you won’t share it with this Ladybug and Chat Noir? Mama said you’d never figured out anything like it before, and if they have it before the fight with Papillon…”

“Ah, I see what you mean. You do not wish to interrupt the timeline more than necessary. If Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly exhibit heightened magical powers, more than what I’ve been able to assist them with what was in the Miraculous book. I would prefer not to lie to them about how I came up with an amplifier not mentioned on any of its pages or what my sudden inspiration was. Furthermore, though I imagine the occasional appearances of Rena Rouge may have made him suspicious, I would prefer not to give Papillon a reason to actively search for me. In his haste to find the true Guardian, he may put innocent lives at risk, which I cannot allow.”

“That’s… really wise,” Marc murmured in awe. Guardian-Master Wang Fu was officially the coolest guy older than his father he’d ever known. Besides Pepere Dupain.

“For now, it is getting quite late,” Master Fu noted. “Perhaps we should turn in for the night. We can revisit your situation in the morning and figure out what you will be doing until your kwami have fully recharged.”

“Yeah, it’s been a really long day.”

Marc drained the last of his tea, then slipped gingerly off his seat. Thankfully, his legs didn’t feel entirely like jelly anymore, so he didn’t just make his new bed on the floor. Master Fu immediately scooped up their cups and the kwamis’ empty plate to place in the sink, and made sure the brazier was no longer lit. With that settled, he came out of the kitchen and headed for the short hall.

“I only have one pillow right now,” Fu called out gently. “But I have several blankets if you need them.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I could use a few blankets,” Marc muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as the tips of his ears turned bright pink. “I uh… would get cold really easy before I inherited Huuang, and it still happens if his Miraculous is totally drained.”

Fu smiled at the boy and deposited a stack of at least six blankets in his arms, topped off by a pillow. It was surprisingly heavy, and Marc was amazed he’d been able to carry it all himself. Maybe it was true that some magical abilities slowly seeped out of the Miraculous, affecting their mortal hosts the longer they wore them. It would explain his mother’s severe aversion to winter weather, and his father’s status as her personal heater.

He was getting distracted by memories again. Master Fu was already up a couple stairs by the time Marc realized and unceremoniously dumped the bedding onto the couch. Once more his hand dove into his pocket for the pouch his sister had given him, and he had one amplifier out in a matter of seconds.

“Master, wait!” he called as he circled around chairs and a small end table. “Here, you can study it when you have time. I trust you.”

Master Fu regarded the offering held up to him for a couple seconds, then gently took it.

“Thank you, Marc. Have a good night.”

“You too, Master. And thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that little chat! As always, kudos are great, and comments fill my heart with joy. Even if you only comment to point out a typo or a grammar crisis. I love those too. Take care everyone, and don't be me! Mind your stress levels and take care of yourself!


	4. Never Considered How It Would Affect Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Fu levels up his troll game as Marc takes on a new challenge of the past: life as a "transfer student". Despite his best efforts to not interfere, pieces of the past come to say hello and nudge at his heart. To make things even better, he finds out first hand how some people he knows were like, and others he's heard of to tread carefully around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long disappearance guys, but I hope you're ready for more!

While several problems Marc ranked higher on the priority chain couldn’t be solved any time soon, Master Fu found a more immediate one two days after his arrival.

“Though you have been through a lot, it would be a great problem if you go walking around the city when other children your age are supposed to be in school.”

“Do I have to?” Marc whined, earning a disapproving stare from Huuang and an eye roll from Lupinn. “Can’t we just tell the authorities I’m home-schooled or something?”

“Then they would ask to see my teaching credentials or what program you’re enrolled in, and then ask me to prove my parentage or legal guardianship for you. No, there are too many risks involved there.” He paused for a moment, and Marc swore he saw a gleam in Master Fu’s eyes. Only later would he realize he should have been highly suspicious of what came next. “I did, however, pass myself off as your great uncle and submitted paperwork for you to attend school near here. You’ll be with kids your own age, and I did make sure that your future parents aren’t in your class. Your class schedule will be with the school’s headmaster when you report tomorrow morning as Marc Anciel. And before you say anything, it was necessary to create a new identity for you as both of your parents have very noticeable surnames, and I assume you want to avoid the awkward questions of which one you’re related to.”

A breath Marc didn’t realize he had been holding slipped past his lips as a relieved sigh. If he did have to go to school, he wasn’t sure he could function if he knew his future mother was busy ogling his future father across the room without being sorely tempted to interfere in their relationship. He also hated the thought of having to lie to people if they asked if he really was related to Adrien Agreste, because while he was super proud of his father, he couldn’t introduce himself as distant cousin or some other relation. What little he heard of Pepere Gabriel before his imprisonment left him with the impression that he would call Marc a fraud, likely using their name to take advantage of the benefits and connections it offered. Or he’d find a way to twist him into one of his akuma-controlled villains. Talk about unnecessary complications.

Though the next morning, he swore under his breath when he approached the school he’d been given directions to. _Dammit, Master!_ The old man was a troll to rival his pun-loving father. This had to be impossible. Of all the schools in Paris, why had he been enrolled at _Collège Françoise Dupont?!_ He wouldn’t be attending here for at least another 28 years! When he met with Mr. Damocles, he found that his “guardian” hadn’t lied. He had made arrangements for Marc to be in another classroom, which suited him just fine. He could lurk in shadowy corners or under the stairs and watch everyone else. Maybe he could even start writing again, just so he wouldn’t come off as creepy when doing totally non-interfering recon on his parents from afar. It was a solid plan, if he said so himself.

===

His first day of school went without a hitch, besides leaving his notebook behind. He found all his classes, managed not to be a walking disaster, and managed to remember most of his new teachers’ and classmates’ names. Marc spent every second of his free periods and lunch break scouting out his favorite haunts from his own time, and found half of them uninhabited. Even if he didn’t have them all, he still thought it was perfect that he had some, especially if he wanted to avoid disrupting the timeline anymore than he already was.

His second day, however, didn’t go quite as planned. While he did remember his new writing notebook, two things of note happened that he felt absolutely should not have happened. First, one of his mercifully oblivious parents discovered him in his favorite spot for inspiration, and second, he found himself with an unfairly immediate crush.

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly completely hidden. His absolute favorite spot was underneath one of the stairwells. He had a good view of everyone mingling in the main courtyard, and once in a while he’d see someone or something, and it would help him chug through his writer’s block. Huuang and Lupinn were hidden safely in his bag with strict orders not to come out until they returned to Master Fu’s. If they were seen, it would be an absolute nuisance to explain them away. If either of his parents or their kwamis saw them, there would be a heaping pile of trouble to clean up and attempt to explain. As far as he was aware, there were no Miraculous powers that offered memory wipes. And even though he knew he shouldn’t (and couldn’t yet) transform into Feilong or whoever he was with both kwamis magic, knowing they were nearby offered some comfort.

Comfort that was gone in two seconds flat when a sweet and kind voice, a couple notes higher than what he’d grown up hearing, startled him out of his writing groove.

“Hi! You’re the new kid, Marc, right? I’m Marinette.”

He fumbled his pen and couldn’t stop himself from looking up at her. His heart was suddenly caught in a vice as he stared up into bright blue eyes that suddenly had joy and curiosity replaced by concern. Lovely, bright bluebell eyes he hadn’t expected to see so soon.

“Oh no! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! Let me get that for you!”

His much younger mother knelt down next to him and retrieved his pen. His stomach started knotting up too as butterflies flew around in what space they had left. God… she still fussed the same. It was torture beyond what he felt, because he’d seen this girl as an adult with a family, married to the love of her life, and been at her side as poison sapped away the life that shone in her eyes. And now here he was, staring at her with wide, light emerald eyes as his hand cautiously accepted his pen back as if he were afraid she’d suddenly go cold toward him.

“Thanks,” he whispered, finally averting his gaze back down to the page his notebook was open to.

He knew her concerned thinking face, having seen it so often in and out of the mask. He couldn’t let her know all of his secrets. At least he had the excuse of being a new student, unaccustomed to everyone he saw.

“So… what do you like to do? You like writing?”

Oh no, she wanted him to open up. He couldn’t be friends with his mother, that would be too weird. Why couldn’t he have just landed 10 years later and avoided this whole mess? But what if befriending her now could help change the future for the better? What if he was influencing his own name? He could go back to his own time and find that he had a different name because he acted like a complete jerk to her in this time. He could wake up one day and find that his name was Claude, or Jacques, or his father had gotten his way and named him Catullus Bugoyne Agreste as he often joked. It was probably a joke to have that many puns in one name.

Best not to push his luck...

And his thoughts needed to come back to this present, because she had asked him a question and he _had_ to answer. It was as if his brain was permanently hard-wired to give in or promptly answer to his mother, no matter how old she was in comparison to himself.

“I almost always have this with me,” he finally said giving his notebook a wiggle. There wasn’t much in it. Not yet. His favorite notebook was back home, in his own time. This one, he and Master Fu had found while they went in search of school supplies. It was pretty close in style to the notebook his parents had gifted him for his thirteenth birthday, resulting in a sweet nostalgia for home, but also bringing up happier memories. “I just… prefer not to share it with anyone. It’s not ready yet.”

“I understand, sometimes I don’t feel like sharing some of my design sketches before I have them perfect and ready to be made.”

“Marinette! We gotta go or we’re gonna be late for class!”

She turned to look over her shoulder at the girl who had shouted, and Marc spotted Auntie Alya, with shorter hair and no scars on her left cheek, waving at her best friend from the bottom of the other set of stairs. It came to no surprise that she rose from her crouch and waved back.

“I have to go for my next class, but it was nice to meet you Marc. See you around!”

She grinned and lifted a hand to wave as she ran to join her friend, and Marc found himself giving her a shy wave back. Great. Now he was going to be the new, shy kid. Then again, he could work with that. He could lean more heavily on his introversion and become a wallflower that not many people paid attention to. If Marinette said he was shy if others asked what his deal was, he definitely stood a better chance of being left alone and minimizing his impact on this time.

And then it hit him, he had an afternoon class to get to as well. As soon as he packed up his things and was clambering out from under the stairs, he found complication number two.

Complication number two had bright red hair that shone under the midday sun. He would have been annoyed with himself if he hadn’t felt his heart flutter, watching the way he ran up the stairs, arms cradling sheafs of paper, a couple books, and a thin schoolbag that likely held everything else. He looked vaguely familiar and Marc was just making a mental note to find out his name, when the five minute warning bell rudely interrupted his fuzzy reverie. With a sharp curse, he bolted up the same stairs he’d taken refuge under and hurtled down the hall to his next class where he ended up half paying attention as he wondered who the boy was.

===

It took him the rest of the school week to find out more about the boy Marc was certain he had a crush on. It was delightful, distressing, and infuriating all at once. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love to any degree with someone who was his parent’s age! This was _not_ part of the plan! But maybe, as long as he didn’t get too close or plunge headfirst into a hasty confession, he could just enjoy this crush for what it was, then find someone else that he could truly and freely bond with when he went back. There, it was the perfect plan. Just in case this crush didn’t vanish in the next month or so, as most of his had been wont to do.

He _couldn’t_ ask his mom, so instead, he asked some of his classmates. His name was Nathaniel Kurtzburg, a name he now recognized as an old friend of his parents. He was in the Unlucky Class, so named because just about everyone in it had been one of Papillon’s akuma victims, including the teacher. Just about everyone mentioned he’d definitely had a hideously obvious crush on Marinette, which was what most of them said had triggered him becoming a villain in the first place. Some students said Chloe was involved because of course the snobbiest girl in the school would be responsible, to which Marc bit his tongue to defend her. It sounded as if she hadn’t quite begun to change for the better just yet. Others said Marinette had rejected him gently and he blew it out of proportion, the rest just shrugged. One fact that could be agreed upon was he had been known as Le Dessinateur, who could draw whatever he wanted and make it alive or real. The details were vague besides one girl recalling a sentient hair dryer terrorizing the library.

Now, he still doodled in his free time, but he went all moony-eyed any time he or someone else so much as breathed Ladybug’s name. That made Marc laugh internally, though he supposed he couldn’t entirely fault Nathaniel if his crush had transferred to her heroic alter ego. It also made him wonder briefly if his own crush stood a chance. It was a thought quickly swatted down because one, it was unhealthy to compare himself to anyone else, especially Ladybug; and two, he shouldn’t worry about his feelings being reciprocated because he absolutely _couldn’t_ stay in this time for the rest of his life for one person. He had to go back to his parents and make sure he’d saved everyone from their terrible fates. He could spare them from career-ending injuries or death at his brother’s hands.

And yet, he couldn’t help it.

The flaming red hair drew his eye any time it wandered anywhere into his peripheral sight. A homing beacon calling his attention no matter where he was or what he was doing. It wasn’t fair, but it also tested his ability to focus whenever he tried thinking about what he could do to fix the future.

===

He had been in the past for three days when he witnessed his first akuma. Pepere undoubtedly abused his magical empathic abilities to pick out people at their lowest, their angriest, their absolute worst emotional states and set them to ruin Paris and her citizens’ lives. All in the name of claiming magical jewelry that would have functioned like the creepy story about the monkey paw he had to read last school year. Gross. Seeing this akuma, Rossignoble... it was no longer any wonder Papa didn’t like talking about him.

All he’d wanted to do was check out these dance auditions everyone had been excited about. He wanted to see if Clara Nightingale, this classical singer he’d grown up listening to, could inspire him to write if he saw her live. It worked right up until some of his classmates dragged him into the dance audition lines. From there, he had a front row seat to everything that went down. To his mother standing up for her friends… until she went to his father’s rescue from Chloe, but the look on the singer’s face was sheer joy at getting the Ladybug she wanted. His parents nervous hesitation to don copies of their own masks was actually kind of funny because neither saw the other’s expression. Frankly, everyone else seemed to think they were both a bit camera shy, to which Marc supposed was miraculous on its own. He was willing to bet a lot of money Plagg was hiding in one of the trailers laughing himself stupid.

He did snap a couple pictures from behind his notebook though. For posterity’s sake.

But before the masks could make it on their respective faces, he got the full taste of how Aunt Chloe used to be. Back when she abused her relationship with her father to get what she wanted. Back when she put up thorny walls so dense and tangled that she barely let anyone in.

Back when she was an absolute bitch.

Marc’s jaw almost hit the floor as he watched Chloe and the Mayor abuse his authority to try and get her in as the Ladybug dancer opposite Adrien’s Chat Noir. The showdown did not end well, and everyone was ordered to shut down production unless the appropriate papers could be provided.

What the actual hell. It was just a music video. Though he’d imagine Chloe and most of the others present would argue that it wasn’t _just_ a music video.

Shortly after the Bourgeois’ claimed a cheap victory, Rossignoble took the stage and made it so anyone she cast her spell on needed to dance or rhyme or something to avoid being turned into a statue. It really was for the better that he was forced into the nearly-helpless civilian role, because he didn’t catch her rules for remaining himself. He knew nothing until he felt his whole body relax and a trail of glittering ladybugs zipped up and out of sight, knowing immediately that the day had been saved. What a weird day. Though the next few days were pretty fun because just about everyone left at the auditions got an invite to be in the video celebrating both heroes. He had to admit, he had a good time secretly paying homage to his awesome and incredible parents.

But after that, he had to withdraw back to the metaphorical shadows. He needed to step back, lay low, go back to being a new face that didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for stopping by and reading! As always, kudos and comments are great. I'm still doing the no-beta run here, so if you feel like pointing out a typo or something, go for it. See you soon with the next chapter as we continue digging into chapters with more bits of plot.


	5. Even As The Small Stuff Changed Under My Nose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Marc adjusts more to life in the past, he ends up seeing a thing or two he didn't quite expect. Shame he can't help his literal mom-friend from being a hot mess.

Over the course of two months, Marc knew three things as absolute fact. One, his mom had weaseled her way into his life and was now his best friend at school. She was always curious about what he wrote, but he always refused to show her. He justified it by reminding himself that he was hoping to present the book to Nathaniel as inspiration for his art, and it felt weird to show Ladybug herself - granted, as a civilian - what he wrote about her and one of her friends. Two, his crush on Nathaniel had not disappeared, much to his unending frustration. To his chagrin, it had grown and evolved, hence why he was hoping to offer him the notebook for whenever he got around to finishing. And three, he and Master Fu were still nowhere near finding out how he could fix the grim future that lurked in the future. Even though they still had many years before The Rattler’s first victim, Jacques Rabbit’s, demise, leaving Lupinn without a Chosen.

Despite the setbacks in his plans, Marc did manage to get one piece of extremely good news. Huuang’s magical energy had been restored. Lupinn still needed time, but that was to be expected. He could become Feilong again! He could become a hero again! He could....

He could never go running around _this_ Paris. Ladybug would likely suspect him of being an akumatised victim. Both she and Chat Noir would likely bombard him with a million questions he couldn’t, shouldn’t, and absolutely wouldn’t answer the second he managed to convince them he was fully in control of himself. Then there was also the Papillon problem. Pepere Gabriel was still going full-swing on his villainous kick, and the sudden appearance of yet _another_ hero could cause problems not only for Paris, his parents, and Auntie Alya, but Master Fu too. It would become glaringly obvious that a Guardian was somewhere in the city, and that wasn’t a risk he could take without exploring all his options and having a long chat with his adopted guardian. Maybe he could stay out of sight, avoid akuma fights and cameras. Just lurk around in the shadows in the dead of night. Surely a 3am flight over the city wouldn’t raise any alarm or suspicion.

“Hey Marc!”

A chipper voice called out to him, breaking up the start of his imagined conversation as he pitched his idea to Master Fu. His head snapped up to attention as he found his mo-- Marinette. He’d never maintain his cover if he kept calling her Mama, mom, mother, or any permutation in his head. So, it was Marinette ( _not mom not mom not mom not mom_ ) leaning across the library table he’d sought sanctuary at.

“Hi, I uh… didn’t see you there. What’s up?”

“Not much, I just came by to tell you that a tv show is going to be shot at my house, just in case you want to watch it. You like Jagged Stone, right?”

He had grown up with Jagged Stone in his blood. His parents were diehard fans and had been since long before they met. The old singer still cranked out new hits with one of the most prolific careers in music history. And he always requested Marinette to design the album covers. Thinking back, he remembered mentioning in passing that his mom had seen to it that he grew up listening to great music by just as great musicians, so Jagged was her go-to. She didn’t need the full story. How had it come up again? He remembered someone with bright red hair that hid half their face nervously approaching Marinette with a CD case and a permanent marker in their hand. They were a fan of Jagged’s and wanted to surprise their boyfriend with the album artist’s autograph. Apparently, he was as much of a fan of the artwork as he was the music. He’d had a tough time trying not to reveal that he recognized this person too…

_Earth to Marc. Come in Marc. Answer the question, dummy._ Each tiny rabbit-like foot kicking at the back of his neck communicated the message loud and clear.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Totally!”

“Awesome! He’s coming by the bakery to work with my Papa. They’re filming at 10am sharp on Saturday, so tune in then! I gotta run, so I’ll see you later!”

As he watched her retreating back, he was suddenly struck by another blast from his past. Oh no, this was going to be _that show_. The show that turned into a personal disaster for Mam--Marinette. Granted, it was also a catalyst for Pa--Adrien to stop being oblivious to her crush. After all, it would take a dense idiot of the highest order to not suspect _something_ with all those photos. The akuma didn’t exactly help matters either, except in lighting the start of a courtship that went virtually unnoticed for nearly seven years. At least, according to Memere, who had a sharp eye for such things.

Marc sighed, resigning himself to watch and see if anything went differently from the stories he’d been told.

===

It was almost worse to watch the whole than hearing about it, but he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away. Everything was fine to start, despite Pepere Tom’s awkwardness in front of the camera. And then came Jagged’s unfortunate flour allergy (seriously, who was allergic to _non-organic_ flour?!) Marc straightened up in his seat, knowing what was coming. The subtle motion seemed to attract Master Fu’s attention because he came over to watch, soon followed by all three kwamis. The camera followed after Penny and the show’s host, Alec, until they came to… his mother’s old room. The one she grew up in. He let his eyes hungrily take in everything the camera showed and committed it to memory. By the time he was born, her old room had been repainted and more suited for visiting grandchildren. But what shocked him out of his hyper-focused state wasn’t Huuang floating over to settle on his shoulder. No, it was the multitude of pictures of his father, clipped out of fashion magazines, that clearly outnumbered those on the same bulletin boards of her with friends. And Jagged Stone was commenting on them after admiring her giant poster of himself. Marc covered his face with his hands before leaning back.

“Oh, Mama…” he sighed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you had it bad for Papa when you were younger.”

The broadcast only lasted for two more chaotic minutes as Mama-nette-- _MARINETTE, c’mon Marc, you have to start using her real name now, even in your head_ burst in demanding everyone leave, then abruptly cut out. Several seconds later, advertisements started playing. The second being a fragrance ad for Gabriel, featuring none other than his Papa. With an amused snort, he slumped back into the couch.

“Mama told me about this, but I didn’t think I’d ever see it, and trust me, I tried as hard as I could. Not a trace! But then… there was a picture I didn’t recognize. It was a group shot from after the music video, and… I was in it.”

He’d done it. He’d left evidence of himself without even meaning to in the past. He’d changed the past without even trying. In shows he watched where the main character time traveled, this was usually the point where they were sucked back to their own era. But… he was using real magic. Not fictional technology or fake magical spells cast by a wizard or something. He turned his head to look for Lupinn, who was nibbling on a carrot slice near his shoulder.

“I know what you’re thinking kid, but I’m still mostly tapped out. I could probably jump you five or six years at most, and that’s with Huuang’s help. Forget it, just wait until I can get you home again.”

The hopeful question died on Marc’s tongue before it could see the light of day.

===

He didn’t get a chance to talk with Marinette for at least a week, when pretty much everyone forgot about the kerfuffle in her room on live television. Really, it had only been three days when everyone was back to discussing fresh school gossip, the weather, the latest akuma that Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated, classwork, homework. The usual. 

He did notice Adrien starting to tease Marinette a little more, but if he wasn’t careful, he was probably going to give his future wife a heart attack. Maybe he should intervene?

...Nah. He had to admit, it was pretty funny watching her spaz out when Adrien did manage to creep up on her. If only Papa knew that she would one day just throw him over her shoulder from years of instinct honed as Ladybug. He hoped that story stayed, no matter what changed in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this one was a quickie, I decided to make tonight a double update before bed. Kudos and comments are delightful, even if it's just to point out a typo. Catch you all next time as we hit the middle chapter!


	6. But I Couldn’t Ignore The Big Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marc gets some good advice and maybe gets wrapped up in one of his mother's harebrained schemes. What's running through his head when everything seems to be devolving into chaos? Look no further than his own thoughts. Or perhaps Lupinn will be more than happy to share with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a head’s up, to keep from boring you all with ripped off dialogue from the show, this chapter is going to be very dialogue light. Instead, you’ll get more of Marc’s thoughts and introspective. Yes, this is a time-travel piece and yes, I love writing for Gabriel/Papillon and his Akuma scenes. However, I also wanted to stick to keeping as many of the akuma appearances in this fic as close to canon as possible. Especially this one. Enjoy!

After several weeks and many more Akuma victims courtesy of Papillon terrorizing Paris, Marc found himself given a day unlike any other. It started off like any other, decent weather, woke up a bit late, downed a granola bar and glass of juice like he hadn’t eaten in weeks, grabbed his bag and notebook, then bolted off for school. He managed to slide in his first class just seconds ahead of their teacher, and thought maybe this would be a lucky day.

Right up until his mother sniffed him out at the end of his school day, writing under the stairs again. He swore she had a sixth sense for finding him. Or maybe he was getting predictable. He couldn’t help it though, virtually everyone else left him alone when he was tucked away under the stairs. And ever since finding Nathaniel’s drawings on the school website, it helped him find the inspiration to write more. Partly for him, but more for himself. It was great practice for writing fight scenes, especially when he didn’t have to focus as hard about the choreography behind it. Such as who was where and doing what in the heat of a high-speed battle. Granted, he did have some real life experience to put behind his writing, both as an observer and a combatant in his own time. Even in his own time, his parents had been in great shape when he became a hero himself, Papa had sometimes lamented that he was getting slower in his “old age”. And that was saying something, because he could still sprint across rooftops on all fours, keeping pace with Feilong and Camberwell in flight. But now he’d seen his parents as teenage heroes, and they were, in fact, faster than he’d ever seen them. Or maybe it just seemed that way when he was stuck as a civilian, watching them soar across the city in person for the briefest of moments or on news clips.

Knowing all that, he _really_ shouldn’t have been surprised at how speedy and strong Marinette was when she suddenly had his wrist in a vice grip one afternoon and was dragging him up to an art classroom. It all happened so fast, he barely registered how they made it up the stairs, but he managed to keep his notebook clutched to his chest. The world seemed to flash by his eyes until it paused, allowing him to catch up as she led him inside.

The second they entered, they were greeted by a gentle older man he’d seen in passing several times. It was a little awkward to be introduced to the teacher by his mother, who he really needed to stop thinking of his mother until she was at least thirty, but he was warmly welcomed as the teacher went around the room introducing him to everyone. It was like his very first day of primary school all over again. And then came a horrifying moment where he swore his heart stopped for a beat as he found himself tugged along until he was two feet from Nathaniel. He caught himself staring into his bright, aqua eyes and averted his gaze down to the table, trying to keep the situation to minimal levels of awkward as possible, where he spied original art. Beautiful pieces of art. _His original art of Ladybug and friends!_ Crush forgotten for the moment, he was in awe of the pieces laying in front of him. Sure he’d admired them when drawing inspiration for his writing project, but seeing them here and now… 

Without thinking, he offered the compliment that would seal his fate. The compliment that triggered the Meddling Mama Trap. Apparently, she thought they would work well together on a comic, and she hadn’t even seen his writing. No no no no no no no no, this was far too soon! He wasn’t ready to share his writing with Nathaniel or anyone else in this time until he’d been able to edit it here, fine tune it there, and ready to leave for the future within 24 hours. None of which had actually happened. So he inadvertently showed how much he took after his mother by burying his notebook deeper in his jacket and bolting out the door in a panic. His face was hot and blushing by the time he made it out the door and smacked right into a post. The pain barely registered as he fled for the locker room for his belongings, then zipped out front doors. That was it. He could never return to this school again. He needed to beg Master Fu to transfer him to a different one. Maybe all the way across the city where he’d never have to worry about running into his teenage parents or a super hot and talented artist that he’d be happy to have as just a friend. Because that’s all they could be.

===

When Master Fu returned home after bidding his last client farewell and setting their next appointment, he found Marc with his face buried in a pillow.

“Marc, are you feeling well?”

He was only met with a low, muffled groan, so Huuang and Lupinn were left to offer a translation.

“You see, Master Guardian,” Huuang began. “He was put in a bit of a personal predicament. It was--”

“His future mom attempted to set him up on a comic book project with his crush,” Lupinn cut in, sounding bored with Huuang beating around the bush. “Some redhead who’d been in Papillon’s thrall by the moniker Le Dessinateur.”

Another groan came from the couch, and finally the mop of fluffy, dark hair shifted so he could be heard clearly.

“Thanks a bunch, Lupinn.”

“No problem, kid, I like to help my Chosen when they seem to need it most.”

The rabbit-like kwami either ignored or missed the single grass-green eye glaring up at him, then he floated off for the plate Master Fu was setting out for him and the other kwami.

“Why don’t you tell me more about this comic book project?” Master Fu prodded in his calming, even tone.

“It’s just… Mama… er, Marinette, she knows I write,” Marc relented. “I can’t show her what I write. It’s… It’d just be weird, y’know? He draws Ladybug a lot, his art is even on the school website, and it’s even better in person when you can see all the details. Every stroke of his pencil or pen, the subtle shading, his art doesn’t need words because it speaks for itself.” Marc let out a light sigh, only to freeze a moment later as he realized he just waxed poetic over his crush’s incredible talent for drawing. “His art inspired me, in a way I never considered before. I wanted to write something for him, so I wrote about his art as if it was from Ladybug’s perspective. But I can’t show him, or anyone! It’s not ready yet, it still needs so much editing and tweaking! But… there’s a part of me that kinda wants to work with him, but I can’t because if we get too close, what happens when I have to go back? I can’t exactly say “hey Nathaniel, I only came back to save my mother, and now I can go back to the future with magical superpowers since I think I managed it. Thanks for letting me help you with a super awesome project, but we can’t do it anymore because you’re the same age as my parents, so maybe we can do this again in thirty years!” Yeah, that’d go over _great_.”

Master Fu stroked his chin with a thoughtful hum. Surely he would offer some sage advice, a nugget of wisdom to help him make up his mind.

“I don’t have a magical answer for you,” he said as he went to prepare some tea, causing Marc to smash his face into his pillow with a frustrated groan. He paused for a moment to be sure Marc could hear what he had to say next. “What I can say is that this is a decision that you will need to make on your own. It won’t be easy, but sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways to guide us. Just keep an open mind. As for your editing problem, I’m no writer, but perhaps one of your kwami, or even Wayzz, would be willing to read it over for you if you asked.”

“That’s… huh. That’s actually not a bad idea. Huuang, would you?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

With newfound hope, Marc went digging into his bag for his notebook, only to have it swept away in an instant. It was gone.

“No… no no no no nonononononono this can’t be happening!”

Whipped back into a panicked frenzy as a high-pitched scream echoed through his brain, he leapt to his feet and turned his school bag upside down onto the couch. A couple textbooks, pencils, pens, the school-mandatory tablet and stylus… but no writing notebook. So much for his plan to transfer out. He couldn’t leave until he found his notebook. A dozen different worst case scenarios played through his head. His writing copied and distributed around the school. Some treacherous talent leech plagiarising the whole thing and claiming it as their own. His classmates shunning him for being a weirdo. Marinette laughing in his face. Nathaniel coldly accusing him of ripping off his art and stalking him, then demanding he never come within fifty feet of him again.

His life was officially over.

===

When Marc arrived at school the next morning, he found that his life was, in fact, not over by any means, just as Master Fu and all the kwami had assured him at least twenty times the previous night. No one paid him much mind, though Juleka complimented his fresh black nail polish - reapplied the night before with a shiny top coat just for the occasion of his impending doom - before he reached the front doors. If he was going to die of embarrassment, he was going to die looking his casual best, and with as much dramatic irony as was humanly possible for a time-traveling fledgling writer.

So he retraced his steps to his locker first and dug through it. How on earth had he accumulated so much stuff in here after only a few months?! Before he could stuff his assorted belongings back in, a familiar voice startled him out of his distressed search mode with a jump.

It was Marinette. With his notebook. And she didn’t look pissed or weirded out or anything. There was still hope. Maybe she… could admit to reading it, which caused him to feel lightheaded. Is this how a fainting spell started? His mother, the one and only Ladybug, had read his fanfiction. Where she had feelings for his crush instead of her crush, partner, and future husband. And she didn’t even know half of what he knew. It was probably too late to crawl into a hole and ask her to pretend she didn’t read any of it, but the switching schools plan still held some merit.

Instead, she proved how silly he was being by being her sweet and supportive self. She praised his talent and proposed a way to have Nathaniel read what he’d written without being outed as the writer. In two minutes flat, it was as if she had triggered his Miraculous and let him transform to fly free. She gave him a mask to hide behind as Anonymous and promised to handle everything as the middle woman. After his notebook was delivered, she gave him instructions to wait at the park near Memere and Pepere’s bakery. “Just sit by the fountain and wait, and I’ll take care of the rest,” she had told him.

His heart felt so much lighter, fluttering pleasantly in his chest, overriding every anxious thought that tried to send him back into a downward spiral. He trusted her and her luck to make everything go right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone stopping by and reading! Kudos and comments are love, even if it's to point out any typos or weirdness. The fic remains unbeta'd, after all.


	7. The Biggest Of Them All Was A Wake-Up Slap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good intentions go terribly wrong and Marc may have forgotten to keep his emotions under control in a time where his other grandfather is his parents' arch foe. And yet, life somehow manages to go on afterward, as it does for the rest of Paris.

The universe had other plans. Marc wasn’t sure where everything had gone horribly awry. He’d waited, fidgeting with nervous excitement, so he put up his hood and dug his hands into his hoodie’s pockets. He’d been assured that Nathaniel had loved his writing and would absolutely be there. Then they could join forces and make the best Ladybug comic book ever.

And yet, the second he lowered his hood and reminded him who he was, Nathaniel had looked utterly betrayed. Heartbreak, fury, betrayal, distress all flashed over his face until one emotion surged over the others to overtake them and his actions. Nothing short of a betrayal-fueled rage could have driven someone to behave in such an appalling manner. Or so he would have thought had he not felt suddenly powerless to stop what came next. The rip of the pages in his hands echoed like thunder in Marc’s chest as he watched his precious, hard work flutter to the ground. His heart was cleft in two, then slowly shattered into dust as he dropped to his knees to collect everything before more damage could come to it. He didn’t register soft, soothing pats to his neck from either of his kwami. Or a sudden shout of meaningless words from Huuang as Lupinn dragged him back to Marc’s pocket to hide from someone.

This was all a mistake. He never should have come to the past, never should have listened to Marinette, never should have let her talk him into this plan, never should have let himself fall i-

A silky, smooth voice meandered through his mind as a violet light didn’t even register in his line of sight. His attention was stuck on the voice promising him what he wanted most. Revenge against those who had wronged him, made a fool of him, and then he could force Nathaniel to work with him for the rest of their days. He just needed Ladybug’s earrings and Chat Noir’s ring. It would be easy with his promised powers to reverse whatever he wanted in the world. They’d be powerless to stop him.

And then he knew no more as Papillon’s dark magic took him over.

===

It was like falling out of a dream, but easily twenty times worse. He remembered none of what got him to this point, there was definitely screaming, but he wasn’t waking up as the adrenaline pumped through his body and his stomach felt like it plummeted faster than the rest of him. But never before in his dreams had a bubbling aura of black and purple magic whooshed by his vision to reveal the unforgiving gleam of concrete quickly approaching, and only the back of his father’s catsuit from the early days between him and certain death. It took a heartbeat and a swirl of sparkling pink ladybugs to speed around Chat Noir below for Marc to realize that they had both been screaming, and then only he was as his dear future Papa swung into action, scooping him out of the air.

He could have hugged him, swore up and down he’d never do anything to disappoint his father, made an oath to do anything he wanted for the rest of his life out of gratitude, and thanked him for always being so kind and brave. But that would have been difficult to explain, and Marc’s head was still reeling from the sudden mental whiplash. He’d definitely been in the park by the fountain like Mama told him to do. Nathaniel had definitely come. And then he’d accused him of pretending to be someone else and… Oh.

OH. 

_Oh no..._ In a spectacularly boneheaded move, he’d forgotten one of the greatest dangers of this time. Well, the biggest one after the risk of accidentally erasing himself and his brother and sister from existence: Pepere Papillon. Judging by how Chat Noir was telling him everything was going to be alright and he was safe now, he hadn’t succeeded in getting either of their Miraculous. But the tone of his voice stirred up childhood memories of Papa calming him whenever he’d been scared by lightning strikes that heralded rumbles that shook the house, followed by hearty booms of thunder that quaked him to the depths of his soul. It was that same gentle tone, but without the comforting hand rubbing his back, though the firm arm around his back was good enough in its place. The memory woke nostalgia within him and the numbness that started to settle in was ebbing away. As they continued a steady and much smoother descent to the ground, Marc watched the butterfly that had possessed him fly off, now fully purified by his mother’s handywork.

He stood awkwardly next to Chat Noir and across from Ladybug. What could he say? Thank you didn’t feel like enough. Not when he knew who they were, who they would become, how much they meant to him. His parents had been his guiding light, his world, and his heroes growing up. Not just because of the masks they donned, but because of all the things they accomplished as average citizens, and almost always with smiles on their faces. But as much as it sucked that he couldn’t tell them just how grateful he was and how much they meant to him, he also knew they weren’t ready to hear it from a kid right around their age. So he resolved to tell them both the minute he got home instead.

What he didn’t expect, before he could even try to apologize for any damage he caused, was for Mayor Bourgeois to approach with Nathaniel at his side. Try as he might, he couldn’t resist trying to steal a glance, only to find him looking back. As soon as he looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks, Mamabug came swooping in to the rescue. How Nathaniel or Chat Noir weren’t suspicious that she knew Marc’s name, he’d never know, but he’d be the last to call her on it. She had a secret identity to maintain. Though, he was glad for her intervention as she suggested they start fresh from their misunderstanding to work together. And despite any misgivings about forming close bonds of friendship or anything with people in the past, Marc tossed them to the winds as he shook Nathaniel’s hand to forge their working partnership. For a comic book about his mom.

He’d give it his all for her. This was how he could start saying thank you.

===

It took several weeks for them to bring their combined efforts to a finished product and have copies made. Their hard work had paid off. Nathaniel had given Marc copies of his final pencil drafts, Marc had come up with the dialogue, narration, and other bits of flavor text. They debated and eventually agreed on the fonts used on and between the cover pages, with some compromises made on both sides. With the final draft in hand, Monsieur Rossignol, who insisted on his students calling him Robert, was a spectacular help in getting the copies made so they looked professionally done. Instead of hiding his writing, he was proud to share it. 

He still had his crush, but he’d also found a great new friend in Nathaniel as they collaborated on their project. And he convinced his new friend into dedicating the comic to Marinette, to thank her for initially bringing them together. And while they both teased her that she’d be a great hero if she wasn’t a total klutz, Marc laughed more at the irony than the actual statement.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt the future to become good friends with his mom here. So long as she never found out who he really was.

===

Months passed as Lupinn continued to regain his magical energy, but it was still at too slow of a pace for his or the kwami’s liking. Paris continued to face attacks at the hands of Papillon’s akuma victims, and Ladybug, Chat Noir, and their expanding team continued to fight back. Rena Rouge appeared more often, as did Queen Bee. Master Fu spoke occasionally of retiring and letting Wayzz choose another human companion, whether it was days, months, years, or even centuries later. Marc nearly let slip who he thought Wayzz would partner up with next, but immediately stopped himself. He’d already changed the future by becoming a pawn of Papillon in a time he never should have been in, so maybe it was enough.

Then there was The Itch, as he and his siblings called it. That primal, burning need to transform and go wander the city from the rooftops. So long as he was here, in the past, he couldn’t call on Huuang to become Feilong. He wasn’t recognized by the current hero squad, except for the Guardian, but it wasn’t like he could call a team meeting to make introductions. There would be a fifth hero patrolling the city that would absolutely cement Papillon’s suspicions of a live Guardian in Paris. The Zodiac Miraculous were powerful in their own right, and were only activated when necessary, which they had been in his time.

Every time Marc felt The Itch creep over him, he had to firmly deny himself, laying out that same reasoning each time. His powers weren’t needed, not here. It was probably best that Huuang stay fully charged in case of an emergency, or at least so they could leave quickly should Lupinn announce he was back to full power. Though when the universe decided which instance came first, Marc wasn’t sure whose luck he had inherited. He was inclined, much later, to suggest they balanced out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist a second update in the same night as they technically fall in the same episode. ;) Hope you all enjoyed the double update! As always kudos and comments are greatly appreciated (seeing the alerts really makes my day), but not required.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next update!


	8. So I Reconsidered My Thoughts And Actions To Turn My Life Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a new akuma appears, Marc is faced with a difficult situation with only one solution that he can accept. The risks are high, but with so little time to think about it, can he handle the consequences of his actions while maintaining his secret identity?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, life has been absolutely bonkers. But I've got another chapter for you guys! I did a tiny bit of research on Olympic events (you'll see why shortly) to spruce this one up a little bit, but it's still unbeta'd. Just a few more left until the end, so thanks for your patience, and enjoy!
> 
> Also, I couldn't resist writing up at least _one_ original akuma. Oops. :X

It was two years until the next Summer Olympic Games, so it wasn’t fair that all these newer athletes were already being brought onto the decathlon team. Of course they needed talent to even be looked at, but were they actually worthy of standing among the world’s best? Were they really so much better that they deserved to outrank him and get him pushed into the reserve team? He had something they didn’t: experience. No one could out-throw him with the shot put or javelin, so someone must have gotten lucky and beaten his hurdles time - admittedly his weakest event. He had been in many competitions for track and field events, putting his pride in France on display by doing his best when representing her. And how was he repaid before he had a chance to compete in his second Olympic Games and help bring home a medal or two?

With betrayal. Cast aside without a second thought. 

Jealousy twisted up from deep inside, curling thorny vines around his heart. Anger swelled as frustrated tears rolled down his face, summoning a fire that blazed high enough to catch someone’s attention.

Several miles away, Papillon could smell his emotions like smoke blowing on the wind. In an instant, he invited one of his butterflies to his hand and transformed it.

“An athlete, passionate for their country and sport, spurned in favor of those too shy to share in his burning fervor. Fly away my little akuma, and help keep his fires of determination running!”

Too distracted in his own thoughts, the akuma settled itself into one of his wristbands. His head snapped up, staring ahead as if the locker room wall was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Hot Shot, I am Papillon,” came a smooth, deep purr in his head. “For years you’ve trained and competed, establishing yourself as one of the best. And now you’ve been hurled out of bounds by those who once praised your talents. Let those who wronged you taste the flames of your anger. I can grant you the power to throw aside and jump ahead of your competition for your rightful place representing France, but in return, you must bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.”

“I will strike while the iron ball is hot, no one will match my passion or talent!”

In a roiling cloud of black and purple magic, Hot Shot took the field.

===

The skies were grey and overcast, rain having threatened to fall for days, but never following through. And it seemed Grandpapillon decided it was a great day to make another attempt at the Miraculous. He wondered if it was possible for him to change his ways, make reparations for all he’d done for… whatever reason he wanted the Miraculous so badly.

As he pondered, he saw giant flaming spheres and pikes arc through the sky. Instincts kicking in, he sprinted as fast as he could down the street and out of range. Several feet ahead, he saw a familiar set of raven pigtails running, likely looking for a place to hide and transform. He knew she’d be fine, up until she tripped on an uneven crack in the sidewalk. Her open purse spit out Tikki so she tumbled out of Marinette’s reach, unable to risk being spotted if she were to fly back to her Chosen. Even with panicked civilians, someone would notice if Ladybug magically appeared on the street. Faint noises in the distance told him another volley was coming this way.

Without a second thought, Marc knew exactly what he had to do. Self-imposed rules be damned, he could do this without putting Master Fu in a jam or alerting anyone to his presence. He just needed three minutes.

He bolted down the first alley he saw, ducked behind a dumpster, and called the magic words: “Huuang! Transform me!”

For the first time in _months_ , Marc felt free. His costume was the same as he remembered, right down to the scaly details on his pale silver mask and suit. His dragon pendant now swung freely around his neck, no longer hidden beneath his favorite rainbow shirt. A pair of nunchaku hung at his waist. But he had no time to waste if he was going to get his mom out of the line of fire quickly. With a hop, he was in the air and flying at what passed for a casual patrol speed. This wouldn’t do. Not with the next volley of projectiles already descending from the sky. One was on course for where Marinette had finally found Tikki and was scooping her into her purse.

“CLOUD FLIGHT!”

His Miraculous flared as his special ability kicked in and, before anyone could bat an eye, he was off like a flash. He made a beeline right for Marinette and scooped her up easily, seconds before a giant flaming ball landed where she’d been kneeling. He wasn’t sure if her scream was from her apparent kidnapping or if she’d seen that her “mystery kidnapper” had saved her life.

“Nothing to fear, I was passing through and thought I’d lend a helping claw,” he shouted over the wind as he climbed in altitude.

“Who are you?!” he heard her shout back, sounding mildly terrified.

“Call me Feilong!” he replied, forcing extra cheer into his tone.

He refused any further questions she attempted to shout over the wind until he reached a roof he was sure she’d be safe on. When he landed, he realized Huuang was likely none too pleased with him using his Miraculous, even if his reason had been noble. It had also been self-serving, but maybe he’d be forgiven since he could also argue that it was out of a sense of self-preservation. His timer had sped up and his second to last marker had just blinked out. Feilong swore under his breath until he realized Mama-- no, Marinette, was standing there, watching him in shock.

“I uh… I-I-I gotta go,” he explained in a higher pitch that picked up speed until his words slammed together. “Don’t worry, you won’t see me again, this was just a one time only deal. Okay bye!”

He stumbled as he spun around and found the rooftop door that could take him inside, and maybe he could find somewhere to hide until he was sure she was gone. Mercifully, it was unlocked, but he hadn’t expected to find himself somewhere familiar. He was in Master Fu’s potion ingredient storage room, above the room he took clients in.

Of all the unlucky circumstances…

Or maybe it was lucky. He could go hide in the apartment. She probably wouldn’t even think to look beyond the massage parlor. Worst case scenario, she ran into Master Fu, he’d be honest when he said he saw no other Miraculous heroes, maybe have some tea with her there, send her on her way, then come over to lecture Marc for being dumb. He could live with that. He just wanted to save her life and make sure he had a future.

As soon as he was back in the safety of Master Fu’s apartment, Marc released his transformation and found himself face-to-face with Huuang. He felt Lupinn shift in his hoodie pocket and heard him yawn. The kwami had slept through the whole thing! He must have poked his head out and seen the look Huuang was giving Marc, because his tone was curious and amused when he found a good question to ask.

“So… what did I miss?”

===

As Feilong had been zipping through the air, thinking himself too quick to be seen, sharp green eyes had caught him from a shadowed rooftop. They had widened when he saw a mysterious figure carrying Marinette off to some location. Chat Noir stepped out into sunlight and gave chase, all the while trying to reach anyone. Ladybug, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee… no answer. Cursing to himself, he had to ensure that Marinette would be alright and trust that Ladybug was on her way to fight the akuma. He lost sight of them after a minute of chasing, and after circling the rooftops, he headed for the last place he swore he saw them and dropped to street level.

Chat ducked into an alley and de-transformed, figuring he would appear less conspicuous as a civilian than his leather-clad heroic persona that should probably have been heading for the fight two minutes ago. But he _had_ to know his friend would be fine and that she hadn’t been kidnapped. He walked in the building he thought he’d find them in and only passed an older woman who was waving goodbye to…

Master Fu?

They both waited until she was out of sight of the front door before Adrien was ushered into the massage parlor.

“Chat Noir, what brings you here? Is everything alright?”

“It’s my friend, Marinette, I saw someone bring her to one of these buildings, but I don’t know if it was an akuma or another Miraculous holder. I guess it’s lucky I found you here. You’d know if another Miraculous user was around, right? I tried calling Ladybug, Rena, and Queen Bee, but no one answered. I just… I need to know that she’s okay before I go back to the fight.”

An odd look crossed Master Fu’s face as he angled his gaze upward, looking rather deep in thought. Sensing safety, Plagg and Wayzz crept out of their respective hiding places.

“I have not seen your friend or the person who had her,” he finally said “Do you know what they looked like?”

“It’s kinda hard to say, they were flying really fast.” Adrien scratched at his chin, thinking hard. “I think they were in silver, and they might have had wings.”

“I see…” If the description sounded at all familiar to the old Guardian, his face gave no hint. Instead, he rose to his feet. “Come with me, Adrien. If there is an akuma around and Ladybug is unavailable, you will need some help.”

“B-but, what about Rena Rouge? Or Queen Bee?”

“Their Miraculous are held here, Ladybug has been bringing their Miraculous here and back before and after each fight. Though, perhaps it’s time for you to choose an ally you know to be worthy, and can be trusted with the enormous responsibility.”

His eyes widened, the full weight of Master Fu’s words weighing on him, then jerked his head in a swift nod. 

“Come with me.”

Without another word, they headed upstairs, both kwami hovering close behind.

===

As Chat Noir approached, Marinette followed after the mystery person that called themselves Feilong through the roof access door.

“This is so weird, Tikki,” she murmured as her kwami perched on her shoulder. “Master Fu would have to have known about another Miraculous user, and he would have told me about them. ...Right? And if that… boy? had been working for Papillon or the akuma, he wouldn’t have tried to save me, or brought me outside of the akuma’s range. It’s… hey, wait a minute. Why did he bring me to Master Fu’s?!”

“I’m not sure Marinette, but do we really have time to investigate now? There’s a dangerous akuma on the loose!”

“I’m sure Chat Noir is heading there now. I need to know if this was another Miraculous user that saved me. It’ll only take a few minutes, promise.”

Luck was on her side as she crept through the storage room and down to the second floor where she found a door left ajar. Marinette took a deep breath and pushed it open, and what she saw made no sense at all. The first person she saw was Marc, holding a plate of what looked like beef jerky and celery. A silver-and-coral dragon pendant was hanging over his sweater and he froze like a deer caught in headlights, when he saw her. He fumbled the plate, but caught it and immediately set it on the counter to avoid any damage. Huuang and Lupinn, dove behind Marc’s body to avoid detection, but their sudden movement attracted Tikki’s attention.

“M-Mam-Ma-Ma-MARINETTE! I- you what here doing?!”

His panicked yelling sounded an awful lot like the overly nervous costumed boy she’d just seen on the roof, but her mind was still chugging through a few other thoughts first.

“Marc?! What are you doing here?”

“Living! I-I-I-I mean I live here! Sort of! Uncle Fu let stay me! Er, let me stay! Yes! He lets me stay here! Nothing strange about that, nope! W-well it was great to see you, you should probably get home so Me--uhhhh your parents don’t worry, right? ”

Huuang and Lupinn both beat their heads into Marc’s back, attempting to muffle exasperated sighs. The former knew too well how much his Chosen took after his mother whenever his anxiety spiked or happened to be making up tall tales on the spot. He peeked around Marc’s back, keeping low to the counter to avoid detection, but-- ah, he was spotted. Tikki was up on Marinette’s shoulder and her eyes widened in immediate recognition. He held up a claw to his mouth, begging for her silence, to which he got a little nod. Bless Tikki, at least she wouldn’t mention them to her Chosen and blow their collective secret into smithereens.

The humans, oblivious to each other’s kwami, were caught in a situation of their own. Marc was sweating bullets, and Marinette unwittingly unleashed her deadliest weapon: the piercing glare reserved for suspected liars. Having grown up knowing his mother hated it when people lied, he’d done his best to avoid earning it. Mostly it had been his older brother that got it, but for the first time in his fifteen years of life, he was on the receiving end.

And he cracked. He cracked like an egg hurled at a concrete wall, unbidden tears welling up in his eyes.

“I’M SORRY MAMA I SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE OUT AS FEILONG BUT I HAD TO SAVE YOU OR YOU WOULD HAVE DIED AND I COULDN’T FORGIVE MYSELF IF I LET YOU DIE AGAIN!”

He threw himself at Marinette’s feet, half-yelling and half-sobbing, each word seeming to merge with the one that followed as he begged for forgiveness. The girl was not prepared for this reaction and only caught a few key words. Namely “mama”, “Feilong”, and “die”.

What had her life become.

===

Master Fu’s hand was on the doorknob as Marc quavered under Marinette’s stern glare. The door was almost completely open when he, Adrien, and their kwami watched as Marc threw himself to the floor in a fit of dramatic hysterics. Plagg’s eyes widened as he scanned the room and realized that Christmas had the potential to come early for him this year. As it was, he dared believe this was already better than five wheels of Camembert. He could see two kwami he hadn’t seen in centuries on the counter, Tikki leaning forward from her Chosen’s shoulder, Marinette looking utterly bamboozled, and Master Fu reaching up to rub out tension via his temples. One sideways glance treated him to a very torn boy who seemed overjoyed to see one of his best friends was alright, but also very concerned for the boy on the floor.

Concern overriding secrecy, Huuang and Lupinn immediately descended from the counter and landed on either of his shoulders, reaching up to try and bring him back from whatever hell hole a sudden anxiety spiral had dumped him in. It was then that both Adrien and Marinette took a few seconds to stare in silence, and it was the latter that broke the quiet with a surprised shriek.

“YOU HAVE TWO KWAMI?! WHY DIDN’T MAS--”

“Marinette!” Tikki piped up sternly as she floated around to make eye contact with her. “You need to calm down! What if-- _oh no_.”

“What?! What’s oh-- _NO?!_ ADRIEN?!”

Marinette felt every drop of blood rush out of her head and freeze in the rest of her veins when she looked in the direction her kwami had. Adrien had followed Master Fu here. Adrien was staring at her and Marc like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Adrien who had a tiny black cat-like creature dying of muffled laughter in mid-air over his shoulder as Wayzz flew in front of the boy’s face and settled on Master Fu’s shoulder. Adrien had seen her kwami. Her lovely, caring kwami who just busted her secret identity into a million pieces.

Hang on a second…

Her brain finally caught up with her thought processes and her eyes bulged. That… that was a kwami. That was a _black cat_ kwami. It had to be with those little pointy ears and the power to hover. Her jaw dropped an inch as she slowly raised a shaking finger directed at it.

Just as struck dumb by the sight of a little red kwami with a black dot in the middle of her forehead, Adrien’s head turned stiffly to see Plagg laughing himself stupid. The little demon, of course he’d find this chaos funny. He hadn’t even been the one to initially blow their secret identities. His head was spinning as he tried to piece together complete sentences.

“My Lady?” he finally managed to squeak out.

“Minou?” she whispered at the same time.

As the two stared at each other in newfound awe, Master Fu sighed, barely audible over Plagg’s cackling, and walked over to the gramophone he’d moved into his apartment several days after Marc’s stint as a villain and revealed it for what it really was. He pulled out the Fox necklace and Bee comb and held them out to Marinette.

“Ladybug, I believe you _both_ have a job to do,” he reminded her pointedly.

Marinette jumped with a squeak as her face turned a shade of red that could rival her suit. “R-Right! Um… can we come back here to talk later? After we beat the akuma, I mean. I still have… things… er, questions. Lots of questions.”

“Yes,” Master Fu said firmly.

With a determined nod, Marinette accepted the two Miraculous boxes and ran up for the roof. Now that she knew Chat was _not_ fighting the akuma, she had to move quickly and get their other teammates ready to make up for their lost time. Adrien lingered for a moment, eyes darting between Marc who had finally calmed down considerably, Master Fu who seemed to be communicating something to Wayzz with only his eyes, and the door Marinette had just run through.

“Um… Master,” he began tentatively. “When you said earlier about letting me pick extra help, now that Mar- er, Ladybug is getting the others, do we still need another Miraculous user?”

“I feel the delay will not have helped matters, but if you move quickly, five of you will be able to face the akuma Papillon has sent out.” He kissed Wayzz lightly on top of his head as he pulled off his jade turtle bracelet, then extended it to Adrien. “I believe it’s may be about time I retire, but the person you grant this Miraculous to must be trusted to give it back after the fight. Now go! Quickly, Chat Noir!”

Adrien grinned and nodded. “I won’t let you down, Master!”

And then he too was gone, leaving Marc, Master Fu, Huuang, and Lupinn alone in the room. Marc finally looked up, his face stained with the paths his tears had taken before sliding under his chin or dripping onto the floor.

“I believe we should take this time to discuss what has happened, before your parents get back. While I fix us some tea, why don’t you find some cheese and cookies. No doubt Tikki and Plagg will be hungry when they return.”

“Yes, sir,” Marc mumbled.

He wasn’t looking forward to having to come clean with either of his parents, not in this time anyway. But he was fairly certain he probably didn’t have much choice in the matter anymore.


	9. Including Coming Clean To My Friends And Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of a giant accidental reveal, Marc finally shares as much of his story as he dares. How much of the future he ends up keeping secret or spoiling though... that remains to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was a long and totally unplanned hiatus. Gonna level with you guys, October was a weird headspace month on top of getting ready for a con on the opposite coast. And I'm working on piecing myself back together and practicing some self-care so I don't fall off the bandwagon. What this means is I'm going to finish posting this fic, sooner over later. But you guys are still waiting to see what happens with Marc in this timeline, aren't you?
> 
> Wait no longer.

The last rays of sunlight were fading in the sky by the time Marinette, Adrien, and their kwamis returned. Two Miraculous were returned to the storage box, and Wayzz popped back into existence the same moment Master Fu slid the bracelet back on.

“Master, I have much to tell you.”

“I am certain you do, but in a moment. We have our guests that are in need of a long conversation. More than what I assume has already taken place once everything was finished. After they’ve settled a little we will talk privately.”

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a brief look, small smiles creeping up on their faces that lingered even as they watched their kwami zipping over to the counter where snacks were waiting for them to help with energy recharge. The plate with a couple sugar cookies and a wedge of brie still bore a couple pieces of jerky and a stick of celery. The kwami who favored those treats were sitting on either of Marc’s shoulders, who was standing behind the kitchen side of the counter, nursing a cup of tea. He gave them a little wave as Tikki and Plagg settled in.

“Hey… so, uh… tea?” he managed to ask around the thick knots in his stomach and throat. When they both nodded, Master Fu brought over his kettle and some cups, letting Marc carefully pour and put a cup in front of each of the stools on the side nearest them. “I know you both might have questions for me, maybe… maybe Marinette more, but you might want to sit before I give you any answers.”

They both took a stool, and immediately Marinette launched in with her questions.

“How did you get two kwami? Is Marc even your real name? Did you call me mama or did you confuse me for someone else earlier? Why did you save me? How--”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second. One question at a time. Or I guess I should just tell you what I can, then you can ask any other questions you have after. Is that… a good idea, Master?”

“Only you can make that decision,” Master Fu replied sagely, as he shuffled slowly toward the stairs. “Perhaps it would be best if I leave you three to your discussion now. Don’t forget to clean up when you’re done, Marc. And all of you have a good night.”

Following a chorus of goodnights, Marc took a deep breath.

“I don’t expect either of you to believe me, but I think Plagg and Tikki know what powers the other Miraculous have, so they should be able to confirm that part of my story, right?” When they saw both kwami nod, Marc continued.

“My name is Marc, though Master picked out the last name Anciel for me since my dad’s surname is too well known, and my mother’s isn’t common and would have outed me instantly. I was born-- or really, I _will_ be born September twenty-fifth in the year two thousand… and thirty two.” The last part of his birth year came out on a heaved sigh, and if it hadn’t been a serious moment, he probably would have laughed at the stunned looks on their faces. “My parents were sort of famous Miraculous heroes of their time. My mother even took up the role as Guardian after years of training under Master Fu himself after his official retirement, but he was already gone before I was born. I only knew him through stories and photographs, so it’s probably lucky he found me when I got here or I don’t know how long it would’ve taken me to find him.”

Marc paused to take a sip of his tea, wetting his throat to avoid choking on words when he’d eventually talk too much.

“Pe--er, Papillon had been defeated years before my older brother was born, but neither of uh… my parents liked talking about him. I ended up trying to find out what I could from old newspaper stories and video recordings. He’d been arrested, given a long prison sentence, but was let out in a plea bargain when he said he could help catch Mayura. Ladybug didn’t want to forgive him, but Chat Noir seemed willing to give him a chance. But his first day out… one of his last victims before he was caught... some family member of the akuma victim heard about the deal, found him out in the streets and just… shot him down. Like he wasn’t trying to make reparations for his mistakes.” Marc’s head bowed. “Papa… I know he didn’t like talking about him so he could forget about the whole thing. I mean, it’s one thing to find out that…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I really shouldn’t say, you guys don’t really know who he is yet, and I’ve probably done enough damage to the time stream. You’ll figure him out when you’re meant to. Anyway, his Miraculous went back to Mama after his defeat, and she gave it to my sister, E, when she was older. My older brother, A, and I inherited Memere and Pepere’s Miraculous after they retired. It’s amazing Mama never knew her own parents were superheroes until after Master Fu gave her the box. But anyway, Oxen Free and Lady Lóng had been around a few years, but things were starting to get rough for them. So A got the Ox Miraculous, and I got the Dragon with Huuang, but only after I turned 14. And with his help, I can become Feilong, with the power of super speedy flight that normal humans and even some magic users can’t see. So I usually do reconnaissance and report back, unless I need to get someone out of a… situation quickly and unnoticed.”

And now, the story was going to hit a rough point. The more recent years where everything in life seemed to go hideously wrong. He took another sip of tea to calm his nerves, then curled his fingers around the cup, focusing his gaze on the last drops over the bottom.

“The thing is, A didn’t seem to want to do much hero work, so he’d always stay behind with me while Mama, Papa, and E went out. But none of us realized what was really going on until a few weeks after. Mama and Papa agreed I was still too young to run around as a masked hero and asked A to babysit, but he’d just leave me to write in my room. I love writing whenever I can, so I never noticed what was really going on when I was holed up for hours. Mama realized one day that the Snake ring was missing, and A too. So when she finally confronted him about it, he ran. Turned out he was this villain calling himself The Rattler who had amassed followers who hated all of Paris’ magical heroes. There weren’t many, but they started doing some serious damage. Mama kept recruiting heroes as needed, including giving out a lot of the Zodiac Miraculous, but most of the newer heroes kept dying. He… he used snake venom every time, they had been lured into traps and left for dead where only other Miraculous heroes could find them. I guess it made sense to her that only another Miraculous user would be able to exploit any weaknesses to the suits. But we could all see the toll it took on Mama and Papa, even those who didn’t know it was actually A doing all these awful things. This was their son, mine and E’s brother… and he had been like family to the rest of the team that knew us behind the masks. By the time I was allowed to help protect Paris as Feilong, my brother and his followers had killed seven different Miraculous users, and they were really good at spreading fear throughout the city. There were always talks of establishing a curfew, or asking the heroes to retire their masks for their own safety, but Mama and Papa always refused. They’d been protecting this city for most of their lives and refused to give in because someone was terrorizing heroes and citizens alike. They swore to stop him until they breathed their l-last breath.” Marc’s voice caught, and he reached for the teapot to pour out more of the soothing amber liquid. Not caring that it was still piping hot, he took a swig, enjoying the light burn of it. “My last day in my own time… we learned where A --the Rattler, I mean, was hiding out. Mama and I found the place first, Camberwell - that’s E - was still behind with Papa, Queen Bee, Sir Tigs, and Bo Peep who were finishing up some arrests of the Rattler’s followers, so we went in. She insisted on going first to make sure it was safe, b-but…”

Marc’s eyes were glittering with tears again, but this time, he dabbed his eyes on his sleeve and forced himself to relive the worst day of his life.

“The trap was too fast. Snake teeth laced with poison were used like darts, some of them hit a spot on her neck where her suit didn’t cover. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. I just… saw her crumple to the floor. And then A was there saying he hadn’t meant for her to take the hit. It should’ve been for anyone else. But it took her. She used the last of her energy to tell me to take the Rabbit Miraculous and go find Master Fu. Camberwell showed up with Papa, and she took back both of his Miraculous. But Papa… he was devastated. I waited to say goodbye to them both before using the power of both Miraculous to go back in time, but I overshot it. Lupinn here is the time traveler, but he borrowed a lot of magical energy from Huuang, and I used something E gave me before I left to boost their powers, which I really shouldn’t share before it’s invented. I only wanted to go back maybe eighteen or twenty years, but I think it was too much power because I went back thirty years instead. And… well, here I am.”

He looked up when he finished, and there were definitely tears in both their eyes. It probably was for the best he didn’t outright admit they were his parents. Not yet. But maybe hearing what he had to say would be enough to change things if they figured it out along the way to meeting him as their son. Hopefully they’d make the connection long after he’d departed for his own time.

“It could have been the booster combined with Huuang’s power,” Tikki suggested, wiping cookie crumbs from herself. “If he was helping you fly faster as Lupinn hopped you through time, it would make sense.”

“Well, I’m going to need it to get back home,” Marc mused. “Whenever that is. Lupinn’s still getting his energy back and it’s been months.”

“Funny you mention it kid, I think I only need a couple more days at minimum,” Lupinn said, leaning back against Marc’s neck. “I won’t make any guarantees though. Might be a week, but I can get you home soon.”

“Home?” Adrien asked. “You won’t consider staying?”

“I might have considered it a couple times, but I miss my family. I’m in a time where my parents are my age, and as much as I want to call them Mama and Papa like I always have, it’s kinda weird having to suddenly call them by their first names. I can’t visit Mama’s parents and learn tricks for Ultimate Mecha Strike VII from Pepere here. I have to be careful of everything I say because I don’t know if it’ll make something in the future worse than it already is. Papa made us all watch some American movie called Back to the Future, which he always said was “a cinematic gem that explored science’s boundaries”, but he always picked at any inaccuracies whenever we watched.”

He smiled fondly, unable to help his eyes focusing more on Adrien to see his expression. Blissfully unaware, but touched by his story, and probably wondering if he could ever have kids he could geek out with over sci-fi movies and video games. _Give it another 20 or so years, Papa._

“And… I have to see how much has changed. The whole point of me going back in time was to see if I helped make it so A doesn’t turn to evil, or that so many heroes won’t die. I wasn’t supposed to be here, and I got akumatised, so maybe that counts for something?”

“Maybe you’re right,” Marinette said, absentmindedly running her finger around her teacup’s rim. “But I still have questions. Like, why did you risk exposing yourself to save me today?”

“That is probably the easiest question you’ve asked, since the rest, I’m not sure how much I can answer without causing major damage to the future, and I’d kinda like to still exist.” He chuckled dryly, getting a pair of nervous giggles from across the counter. “It’s just… when I watched my mom dying in front of me back in the future, it took a part of me with her. I hadn’t been able to do anything then, since I didn’t have any antidote to eliminate the poison. But Huuang’s been recharged for a while now, even before Papillon got to me. So when I saw Tikki fly out of your bag when you tripped, then the fireball flying in your direction, I couldn’t just do nothing. I had the power to help you, so I did.”

“How’d you know what she was? Most people just think she’s a stuffed… toy…” Realization dawned on her face as she stared at Marc. “Wait, you knew I was Ladybug? The whole time?”

“Nnnn… maybe?” Marinette shot him a sharp warning glance, causing him to hunch his shoulders and curl in on himself as his ears and cheeks turned red. “Okay, fine, _yes_ m-mmm... I’ve known the whole time. I… really don’t think it’s a good idea to say how I know.”

“Didn’t you ask if he called you ‘Mama’ earlier?” Adrien asked, thinking back to the chaotic scene he’d walked in on. A panicked look appeared on Marc’s face that Marinette didn’t miss.

“Oh that’s not important, it’s no--”

“Marc,” Marinette cut in with a raised eyebrow. No no no she wasn’t supposed to find out he watched her die, or that her first son had turned evil. Or that she tried to set up her future son with a friend to collaborate with. Or that said future son wrote pandering fanfiction with said friend in mind… He was going to be toast when he got back home.

“Please don’t make me explain,” he whimpered, turning sad, green kitten eyes on her. “If I tell you what Mama’s name is, you’ll ask about Papa and… I think it’s a really, _really_ bad idea. It’s just, I don’t want them to feel pressured to get together now if it’s too soon. Y’know?”

“I… alright,” she relented. “You have your reasons, and even if you are from the future, I still consider you a good friend.”

She raised a fist, extending it halfway across the counter. His heart fluttered, she had no idea she was offering him the sacred family tradition as he knocked his fist against hers, a true smile blooming over his face. He followed it with holding out his pinky finger, curled slightly.

“I… well, my whole family always followed it with a pinky promise. Our silent promise that we’d always be there for each other, watching each other’s backs. Oxen Free started it, Papa and I continued it.”

To his surprise, not only did Marinette immediately go for it, but Adrien did too. It must have shown on his face, because he gave his best model pout.

“Don’t look so surprised, you may have our backs, but if we’re still Ladybug and Chat Noir in the future, we’ll have yours too. As Feilong, and as Marc.”

The sentiment was almost enough to make Marc cry all over again. His Papa being his usual sweet and caring self without even realizing he was being the best dad ever at 15 to a kid he hardly knew yet.

“Thanks. That means a lot. And... I don’t feel it’s wrong to tell you that you’re both still heroes, legends even. You make it work as adults - the hero thing, I mean - and it was always an honor whenever I could fight beside you.”

Adrien’s lower lip wibbled, and Marinette beamed.

Their talk turned casual and continued until much later when Adrien got a call from Nathalie asking for his whereabouts, to which he half-lied and said he was out with friends from school but would be home soon, and no he didn’t need the car because he had an escort. Marinette, reminded that she should cover her alibi, quickly tapped out a text to her parents and told them she had lost track of time, was safe, and would be back later that night. Taking it as their cue, they both bid Marc farewell and told him to let them know when he was leaving so they could say goodbye.

He walked with them to the roof, promising he wouldn’t forget. He was lucky school was out for the summer already. No need to worry about arranging for a “transfer” with Master Fu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so patient and coming back to read. Stay tuned for the last two chapters, coming soon to a reading queue near you! As always kudos and comments (even constructive criticism) are lovely and feed my soul.


	10. They Deserved To Hear It From Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As his time in the past draws to an end, Marc hurries to tie up his loose ends. He knows there's a few people he needs to talk with and say goodbye to, because life has taught him that you don't have all the time in the world to communicate everything in your heart. But it doesn't all have to hurt.

A full week passed and Lupinn was confirmed to be back at full strength. He used the time to shut himself away to work feverishly on a goodbye present for Nathaniel. His partner in crime, and the crush he couldn’t carry home. It cut deep that he could never tell Nathaniel the full truth about him, but it was for his own benefit. But… he could at least say goodbye in person, if only to say he valued their partnership and friendship.

So, the day before he left, he called in a favor from Mama and had her arrange a meeting. This time, it was he who found Nathaniel sitting on the fountain’s edge, neither one hiding behind the mask of anonymous.

“Hey, Nate,” he said, raising a hand in greeting.

“Marc, hi, Marinette said you needed to talk? Is everything alright?”

The look on his face was an amalgamation of concern and curiosity, and he couldn’t entirely lie to his friend. So he settled for vague truths.

“It’s… kind of a mix,” he sighed, sitting down next to him. “My parents want me to come back home, and I don’t think I’ll be able to come back to Paris for a very long time. A lot of it has to do with my grandfather. He’s… not in a very good place right now, but I’m sure he’ll be fine, given time. But my parents also found out about my time terrorizing Paris, and the other akumas that have been turning up and… yeah. They know everything’s fine now, but hearing about what that one hurling around flaming sports equipment did before everything was fixed really scared them.”

Nathaniel’s crestfallen expression was tugging at his heart, but he had to continue with the train of bad news, then try to make it better with his parting gift.

“It feels like everything I have to tell you is bad news, because once I get home, I won’t have a way of contacting anyone here. It’s a pretty distant place, technologically speaking. No internet connection, no phone service.” None that would span 30 years, anyway. “I’m really sorry, Nate. I’ve loved working on the comic book with you and getting to know you. It’s been so much fun. Anyway… I didn’t want you to hear all that from someone else, because you deserved to hear it right from me. Because you’re one of the best people to ever walk into my life. And it’s because of that, that I managed to convince my parents to let me stay until I finished something.”

Marc reached into his sweater and pulled out a square parcel, roughly an inch thick, wrapped as neatly as his hands and the paper allowed. He held it in front of his partner.

“It just feels right for you to have it. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more warning about my move, but I wanted to put as much of my remaining time into that as I possibly could.”

“Can I open it now?”

“If you want, I guess you can.”

The last word had barely left Marc’s lips as Nathaniel immediately started peeling back the paper with great care. After a couple silent minutes, a black cover notebook sat in Nathaniel’s lap, slim fingers lifting the cover, then leafing through the pages. He skipped through faster and found most of the notebook was full now.

“You’re giving me your notebook? But why?”

“Because you inspired me to write again when I got here. I saw your art on the school website, and it moved me in the depths of my heart, in a way nothing has before. It had been months from the last time I actually wrote anything outside of school assignments. So, I thought I’d entrust you with what you inspired. The Diary of Ladybug, and some other short stories I’ve come up with in the rest of my spare time. And I hope if we ever do meet again in the future, we can still be friends.”

He could see Nathaniel’s eyes shine in the afternoon sun, but it took a couple seconds and a single tear forcing its way out to realize he’d made his friend cry.

“O-oh no, I’m sorry, please don’t cry!” Marc sputtered.

But it was too late, because he could feel the ball of misery that had been balled up in the pit of his stomach slowly unfurling, and it made tears prick at the corners of his eyes. Though Nathaniel shook his head to refute the sudden apology.

“No, it’s fine,” he said, wiping his face with the cuff of his jacket sleeve. “It’s just that I never thought of my art as super inspiring. Enjoyable, sure, but everything you said was really touching. You really have a way with words. Thanks for being a great friend and comic book partner.”

Marc gave him a watery smile, and instead of taking his offered hand for a brief shake, he used it to reel him in for a bear hug. His traitorous heart fluttered when he felt an arm reach around his back to return it.

===

When he’d asked Marinette to have Nate meet him, he asked her to bring her kitty to his great uncle’s around seven pm. A code he was sure she would understand, and was not proven wrong when Ladybug and Chat Noir met him and Master Fu on the roof. Lupinn and Huuang were still chewing on their amplifiers as they touched down.

“Looks like we made it with purrfect timing, Buginette,” Chat announced with a grin.

Ladybug shook her head with an exaggerated sigh, but her fond smile ruined the effect of her feigned annoyance. Master Fu chuckled, and a wide grin split Marc’s face. There was definitely hope for his future yet.

“I’m glad you guys could make it, I really wanted to see you one more time before I went back.”

“There’s not much that can keep us from saying goodbye to a friend,” Chat told him.

“But is it really goodbye if you’ll see me again in 15 or so years?” Marc quipped back with a sassy smirk that Ladybug thought looked vaguely familiar, but it looked strange on his face. Maybe this was the real him and shy Marc had been part of his act as the new kid in school.

“Maybe not, but it can be farewell, until next we meet,” Chat replied with a flourish and a dramatic bow.

“Until next we meet,” Marc agreed.

“I’ll look forward to seeing you again, Marc,” Ladybug said, approaching him with her arms lifted, inviting him for a hug. “I really hope I get to see you s-.”

She broke off in surprise when Marc took her invitation to zip in close and hug her tight. Smiling gently, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a comforting pat in the middle of his back. When he released her, he approached Chat, offering him a hug as well, which was immediately accepted. Marc remembered he should pull away at the next pat to his back and when Lupinn cleared his throat from his shoulder perch.

“Right… I’ll see you both soon, and you might meet me sooner than either of you realize. If you want, you can stick around for the next bit. My sister thought the combined costume looked hilarious, and I guess I can’t blame her for that.”

He jammed his hands into his sweater pockets, and felt a picture he forgot he’d stuck in there after washing the pair of jeans it had originally been hiding in. Best to leave it be, he wanted a better look at it when he got home to see if it stayed the same or changed. When his hands withdrew, he didn’t feel it slide out and flutter to the ground, and immediately made the command.

“Huuang! Lupinn! Transform me!”

Silver light emanated from his pendant and copper light shone from his ankle, as each kwami was absorbed into their respective Miraculous. Ladybug and Chat Noir watched with rapt attention as two different magicks wove their way around him. Ladybug recognized the silvery elements that created the dragon scale torso and attached “wings”, as well as a long tail that wouldn’t look out of place on a dragon kite. The silver scale pattern led down his legs until it met black combat boots which covered his feet and could have been from either kwami, but she suspected the rabbit from their more elongated shape. She also noticed the rabbit’s influence on his arms and head. Both were decked out in a coppery-brown skin-tight material, the headpiece functioning like a cowl that came down over his head to mask his face and hide his hair. But both she and her partner could see what his sister had found so funny. A giant pair of floppy bunny ears had grown out of the hood and fell to about his elbows. They both had the idea to exchange a glance, but it proved too much as they both started howling with laughter.

“Yeah, I’m sure Lupinn did this on purpose,” Marc deadpanned, picking up one of the ears and letting it drop and sway freely. “His previous Chosen, Jacques C-- er, Rabbit, had a great sense of humor, and I think it rubbed off on him in the couple of years they were together.” He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then took a couple steps back from everyone. “Alright… here goes nothing. Just don’t do anything to make me come back and fix everything a second time, no matter how much you miss me. Got it?”

He laughed weakly at his own joke before closing his eyes to focus on the magical power coursing through him from both Miraculous. He could do this, he was going to get back to his own time.

“Guess it’s time to see if you’ll both be home,” he murmured, missing the way Chat’s ears flicked forward, catching everything he said. His eyes opened, focusing on the open roof in front of him, and he ran forward. He was two feet shy of the edge when he leapt into the air and activated his special ability. “TIME JUMP!”

The anket glowed copper once more, swirling up to cover Marc until the light flared, causing all present to shield their eyes. The second the light faded away, only a soft glitter of magic could be seen, before it blew off in the wind. The last trace of Marc in their time, until something shifting slightly over the rooftop caught Ladybug’s eye.

“What’s this?” she asked aloud, going over to pick it up.

Something folded in quarters. Had Marc dropped it? Curiosity got the better of her and she shifted to a corner of the roof where the light from a nearby streetlamp reached, allowing her to get a good look at it. If she knew what it was, she could determine if she should try to get it to him sooner instead of later. But the heroine was not prepared for what she found. It was a photograph of Marc and two other teenagers, likely his siblings. A girl with raven hair and blue eyes stood triumphant, an arm wrapped around the neck of each boy to hold them in a headlock. On the lapel of her lavender jacket was a brooch with a dark stone and what appeared to be four pale wings. The Butterfly Miraculous. Marc was under her left arm, laughing as if he was having the time of his life, even forced to lean forward. His silver-and-coral Dragon Miraculous hung down from his neck. Trapped in the girl’s right arm, a boy with dark blonde hair and teal eyes looked like he was yelling at her to let go, but the laughter in his eyes was captured in the photo. On his visible hand was an unusual blue ring with spring green spikes that looked vaguely familiar to Marinette.

Chat Noir and Master Fu both wandered over for a look, and understanding struck the old Guardian’s face with a quick sweep over the photo. It would be far too suspicious to try and abscond with the future photo now that Ladybug had gotten a long, hard look at it. Instead, he simply resigned himself to the heroes either figuring out their future family, merely having suspicions, or being utterly oblivious. Though with the evidence in their hands, he doubted the latter was going to be an option in this case. So he said nothing as he stepped back and silently headed downstairs for one last night with Wayzz before he, Trixx, and Pollen went to their new Chosen. Permanently.

Chat Noir stared in awe at the picture over his Lady’s shoulder. Was he talking about him and Ladybug when he whispered about both of them being home? Or was it the other kids in the picture? Remembering his mother’s habit of writing descriptions on the back of photos, he wondered if other people shared in that habit and gave her arm a nudge.

“Buginette, turn it over. Maybe there’s a description, or a message.”

Bluebell eyes widened as she wasted no time in turning it over. _Bingo!_ Someone with neat, and sort of familiar handwriting had penned a few lines on it.

_Marc, Emma, and André, horsing around post-patrol. Our greatest “Lucky Charms”, able to find laughter even after the darkest days. xo January 3, 2048_

They both stared silently at the words. Neither of them seemed able to move, their minds still working overtime to process just exactly what this picture meant. It was clear that they were all Miraculous users. Recalling Marc’s story from the week before, the girl, Emma, had to be his sister ‘E’, also known as Camberwell. That meant André was more than likely ‘A’, his older brother that had turned to evil several years before that picture would have been taken. Enhanced hearing or not, Chat’s proximity to her allowed him to catch her whisper of “Lucky Charms”. And it clicked. 

“My Lady,” he breathed in realization. “I… I think these are your kids.”

“I think you might be right,” she whispered faintly. “It makes so much sense now. But no one on either side of my family has eyes like Marc or… this one, André.” She flipped the photo over, then tapped a finger on his dark blonde hair. And then she saw it. A small mirror on the wall behind them. It had captured the photographer. Slightly shaggy blond hair and bright green eyes that were angled down peeked over the camera.

...It couldn’t be. No way. No way was she that lucky. One of Paris’ beloved heroes when she wasn’t a walking human disaster or insanely busy with her various responsibilities, married to the boy she loved with all her heart, her crime-fighting partner, and eventually the mother of their three kids. The thought that her wildest dream would one day become true left her floating on cloud nine and never wanting to leave.

She barely noticed in the middle of her internal anxious-excited freakout that Chat reached over her shoulder and gently guided her hand to turn the photo over again. He thought he’d seen something marked on the edge of a fold line. Yes, there it was, and… oh. _Oh boy._ They had both signed it. Ladybug’s dotted and crossed circle, and Chat Noir’s paw print. The kids in the photo weren’t just her kids.

They were _their_ kids. Marc was _their_ son trying to change the future so Ladybug and other heroes wouldn’t die. He knew children were a long way off for either of them, but he couldn’t stop the bursting swell of pride that filled his chest with warmth. Without a second thought, he knew what he had to do.

Chat Noir stepped around and gently took the photo from his partner. He folded it up and tucked it in one of his pockets before taking both of her hands in his. He got down on one knee and plucked his ring off his finger, so it was Adrien kneeling before her after a blinding flash of lime green light. Her eyes snapped down and she attempted to protest whatever he was doing, but he shook his head.

“My Lady, Marinette, Princess. Marry me, please.”

Whatever reaction he expected, it wasn’t for her to turn a brilliant shade of scarlet and faint into his arms. He resolved to ask again when they were a few years older.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update two of the night! I'm a little ambitious right now before I skitter off to bed, so I'm hoping I can quickly get a summary written for the last chapter. Thanks again for reading!


	11. Instead Of Wondering What Happened For The Rest Of Their Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having catapulted himself through time, Marc is finally on his way home to his own time. The moment of truth is upon him as he learns what's changed and what hasn't. But did he manage to change things for the better?

Marc had a horrible sense of deja vu as he was flung forward through the temporal vortex, and it held up as he felt himself fall onto solid ground. His head was spinning, and as he didn’t quite trust that opening his eyes or moving would do him any good, he relied on his other senses to get an idea of his surroundings. He could smell grass clippings, a freshly mowed patch of land. Children laughing and calling to each other reached his ears, but they weren’t anywhere nearby. 

He was probably in someone’s back garden, probably just before dark. He’d have to force himself to get up and go before his transformation dropped, especially if someone had already seen him in costume, but if this was going to turn out anything like his jaunt into the past, he was dangerously low on time. As if to emphasize that point, shrill twin chirps rang out. Finally, Marc cracked open his eyes, daring to look around. 

Wait… he knew this place. He… he was _home_. Forgetting that he wanted to check how much time he had left, he slowly turned his head in the direction of the house. Relief washed over him when he saw Mama’s stained glass window hangings where he’d seen them as far back as he could remember: a ladybug and a black cat. He could assume his family still lived here, unless someone else had the same items and happened to hang them right in the kitchen window above the sink. His eyes noticed something glimmer in the window next to it. After some squinting, his eyes widened in surprise. A stained glass butterfly and bull were hanging, shining in the light from inside the house.

No way… That was definitely new. How much had he caused to change? Marc let his head flop back as he looked up to the sky, still unable to to summon the energy or desire to stand. A multitude of puffball clouds caught every color of the sunset and more, painted in shades of red, orange, magenta, purple as blue gave way to the daytime’s last hurrah before night descended over the city. It was nothing short of beautiful.

Caught up by his daydreams, he missed his sister about to take down the butterfly as she prepared to leave, but stopped before her fingers touched the ornament.

Emma shouted through the house that there was some drunkard passed out in the back garden, and needed help dealing with them. She slipped out the sliding door that led out back and crept closer. The intruder sure was dressed funny with hilariously large rabbit ears and a silver… scaly bodysuit? Her eyes slid up to his face and she backpedaled with a shriek when she realized he was conscious and technically not an intruder. She made it two steps before she landed on her butt.

“ _MARC?!_ ”

Her voice broke the peace he’d been enjoying, and he turned toward her. A huge grin split his face as he attempted to sit up, but it was a struggle to stay that way when his arms felt like limp noodles.

“Hey Em, good to see you,” he said casually, lowering himself to prop himself up on his elbow instead.

“That’s it?” she asked incredulously. “ _That’s it?!_ That’s all you have to say?! Do you have any idea how worried Mama and Papa have been?! How worried we’ve all been?!”

Marc shrank back to the ground, as if it would protect him from his sister’s tirade, just as the transformation dropped. Silver and copper light spiraled around him, and both kwami appeared on the ground inches from Marc’s arm.

“Never… again…” Lupinn muttered, flopping on his back dramatically. “Not unless I can borrow Tikki or Plagg’s magic. No offense, Huuang.”

“None taken,” the tiny dragon replied wearily.

Having heard Emma’s hollering, three more people came bolting out of the house to see what was going on. His father and _André_ were the first ones out, and his mother was hot on their heels. All of them froze, just staring at Marc. And while he couldn’t seem to shake the awkward squirm in his stomach, he also felt ecstatic. His brother was here and not the source of Paris’ fear and misery. His mother was alive. He’d actually fixed the future. ...The present. This was going to take some adjusting all over again.

“Uh… is everything alright?” he started tentatively. “Because the staring is starting to get really weird.”

“Have you completely lost your mind, kid?!” André yelled, now looking at him like he’d grown two extra heads, but a slight quaver his voice betrayed the fear behind his apparent anger. “We’ve all been scouring every inch of Paris possible for you since you vanished a week ago! No word, no note, n--”

He broke off the second he noticed their mother’s iron glare, then stepped aside so she could pass. Marc gulped nervously as she approached and knelt down at his side and looked him in the eyes. They were the same bluebell shade he’d said goodbye to thirty years ago, but what felt like several minutes to him. Her eyes flicked down his body to where his pant leg had ridden up to expose the anklet, then over to both exhausted kwami.

“When did you go?” she asked calmly.

André and Papa exchanged confused looks, Emma still looked peeved, but her curiosity was piqued at the meaning behind the question. They all knew the last night they had seen Marc, so why the “when”?

“You mean now or then?” he asked, earning more confused and curious stares from his family.

“Then,” she replied as Tikki appeared on top of her shoulder.

“August twentieth, two thousand eighteen.”

There was dead silence as Papa’s jaw dropped, the memory that thirty years ago he’d seen Marc around school, properly met his son later, and said goodbye to him a week later slammed back to the front of his mind, but was trying to remember how he did it. Why didn’t he remember? Oh wait, he’d proposed to the love of his life, but used his Miraculous in place of a proper engagement ring, and she’d fainted so he brought her home and put her to bed. That’s why he forgot. Good times...

André broke it first by swearing and muttering something about needing a smoke as he walked off, arms thrown in the air. Emma took another five seconds before she made a shrill noise that sounded like a tea kettle the hit its boiling point, and an additional ten before she burst out, waving her arms wildly to emphasize her next point.

“That’s impossible, Mama! There’s no way he’d be able to travel back in time thirty years with only another kwami for help!”

“That would have expended a lot more magical energy than these two are capable of,” she agreed gently scooping up both kwami into her hands to examine them closer.

“I had other help,” he admitted. “Emma gave them to me.”

He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the small pouch with her amplifiers. Without bothering to stand, his thoroughly baffled sister crawled over to join them to take the offered pouch. She tipped the tiny capsules out into the palm of her hand and studied them carefully. Her eyebrows shot up, threatening to climb all the way to her hairline.

“Did you finish my amplifier formula?” Emma asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “I’ve been working on and off on these based on notes I found in the old Guardian’s notes.”

“Master Fu, yeah, I showed them to him, but made him promise he wouldn’t replicate them since it’s your invention. Maybe that did change the timeline a little…”

“What on earth are you talking about?!” Emma demanded.

Before Marc could answer, their mother intervened, holding up a hand.

“Alright, that’s enough. Before we give up our secret identities to the whole neighborhood, let’s take this inside. Chaton, darling, can you quickly message the rest of M Squad and Z Squad that Feilong’s been found? And tell our friends not in the know that Marc’s back home, safe and sound.”

“Of course, my darling Purr-incess, your bidding shall be carried out,” he replied, coming back into the conversation. “But can it wait until after we hear his whole story? I know we heard it, and lived some of it, but I’m a little fuzzy on the details.”

“I guess the delay wouldn’t hurt,” she relented. “Everyone will be bound to have questions, and you should be there too. Emma, get André please and tell him to meet us at the kitchen table. I’ll allow him to have his vape in the kitchen this one time only. Marc, it’s time to get up.”

With a little struggle, then finally admitting that he needed help, his father helped him to his feet. The second he let go, Marc’s legs wobbled as if he’d been out at sea for a week instead of lost in the temporal vortex. Quick as a flash, his father had him supported and helped him inside to the nearest kitchen chair. His mother carried both kwami and let them climb out of her hands and onto the table, before going to the window and hanging up a dragon she had laying on the counter, suggesting they were a means of telling who wasn’t home without being obvious to those who didn’t know the code.

With the whole family finally reunited around the table, he looked to them all.

“You said I was gone for a week, right?” he managed to ask before anyone else could ask his story. “What did it look like to you guys?”

“It was awful,” Emma interjected first. “You had said you were turning in early, maybe eight thirty, to do some writing before bed, but when morning came you were just gone without a trace. We thought you just stayed up late, but you know Mama, she’s got that sixth sense that homes in on us or knows when something’s wrong. So she went in your room and your bed wasn’t even touched. You hadn’t even written a word in your notebook, which was wide open on your desk. We asked the other Miraculous heroes to keep an eye out for Feilong. We called Memere and Pepere, Pepere and Ms. Nathalie, Auntie Alya and Uncle Nino, Auntie Chloe, your friends that you’ve brought here or told us about, and everyone else we could think of to ask if they’d seen you. We didn’t know if you’d run away, been kidnapped, o-or…”

She hesitated as the last word stuck in her throat before she could get into worst case scenarios. Papa placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, followed by a kiss to the crown of her head.

“Neither of us noticed the missing Miraculous until two days after you vanished,” his mother admitted with a nod to her husband. “We’ve been having some activity with dark magic popping up around Paris and found a Jacques Camirand that would be perfectly suited for the Rabbit Miraculous. He’s an investigative reporter that’s been poking around the recent incidents, trying to find the cause. What better way than to have a time-traveling scout who can verify reports we hear about days later? But when I went to get it from the box, I’m sure you can imagine how alarming that was. I really don’t want to give him any of the other Miraculous though, because we really need Lupinn’s power.”

“One problem there, Ladybug,” Lupinn interrupted with a weary tone from where he was reclining against Marc’s arm. “I’m tapped out. It took me five months to get back to full strength after the last thirty year jump.”

“But you didn’t have me then,” Emma said, a sly grin appearing on her face. “The reason my amplifier project has been delayed is I also found notes from Guardian Fu for a power restorative, good for emergencies. The first note said he started working on it in June of 2018 and finished it in late July that same year.”

“That was before I left…” Marc whispered. “Maybe he tested it on Lupinn, like put a drop or two on his food without any of us noticing?”

“It is possible,” Lupinn mused. “I didn’t think I’d be ready for at least another two or three months a few weeks ago, but I knew I was ready faster, somehow.”

“It’s worth a shot, maybe see if a slightly higher dosage helps, start with a few drops in the morning, a few at night and go from there.”

“You’re still brilliant as ever,” Marc told her, once again in awe of her herbalism skills. Emma beamed at him, silently thanking him for his kind words.

“And now that you know what we’ve been through all week, maybe you can tell us your story,” his mother suggested in that firm tone she used that was really more like an order.

“Well, I hope you’re all comfy, because this is going to be a long story,” he said. Seeing nods from everyone, he took a deep breath. His parents had heard it before, but now they were going to get the full version. No edits to spare them future spoilers, because they weren’t really spoilers anymore, just an alternate timeline at the start. “In order for you all to understand what I’ve been up to, I need to start a few years ago, because back then, we had once been a family of heroes. Had being the operative term, because the universe fought to remain in balance…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who came along on this mini roller coaster ride with me. It's been a long time since I wrote anything this long with chapters, and I'm delighted overall with how this AU project came out. As always, kudos and comments are lovely.
> 
> On a couple other matters of business, I do have an alternate ending written for this fic. (Spoilers: it's not as light and fluffy, and it picks up near the end of chapter 10.) After all, what's one more divergent timeline? The follow-up/sorta sequel fic is currently sitting on a back burner, but I hope to have it finished by the end of the year. When it's complete, I'll share it with you all, which makes bookmarking the series a good idea. ;) In the meantime, take care of yourselves.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my newest work! Kudos are lovely, and comments usually warm my heart, but true constructive criticism will help me improve. I still love all three though. So let me know what you think! Point out my typos and grammar issues too. I can look over this all I want, but I know what I wanted to say, so my eyes will be more apt to filling in missing words or "fix" typos.
> 
> For those who are curious about the names, The Rattler was picked because he wanted to "rattle" his opponents, striking fear into their hearts. Camberwell comes from the [Camberwell beauty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalis_antiopa), one of my favorite butterflies. As for Feilong, [this should offer some insight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feilong) until his next masked appearance.
> 
> And as with the Miraculous in the fic with Rema and Armand, I forgot about any guest appearances of the Miraculous themselves, so everything about them in this fic I literally made up as I went. Kwamis included. ...And now it's 3am and I'm rambling. Whoops!
> 
> Thanks again and catch you all next time!


End file.
